Review: The Bling Ring

Stars in their eyes.

 

It's hard to believe that this actually happened. Based on this article published in Vanity Fair back in 2010. The Bling Ring follows a group of celebrity obsessed teenagers that robbed the houses of several famous faces. How did they get in to these houses? Through the front door in some cases. Paris Hilton leaves a key under her mat. Miranda Kerr and Audrina Patridge leave their doors unlocked. Hell, they even "check cars" and open random car doors to see if people have left cash or credit cards inside. They ended up netting more than 3 million dollars in goods.

 

Rebecca (Katie Chang) is the ring leader. Marc (Isreal Broussard) is the new, shy kid at school who just wants to fit in. He clings to Becca despite her bad behavior. Chloe, Nikki, and Sam (Claire Julien, Emma Watson, and Taissa Farmiga) are along for the ride.

I'm fascinated by this film for a few reasons. The first one being that I actually watched Pretty Wild, which was the reality show that Alexis Neiers and Tess Taylor (Watson's and Farmiga's characters respectively) had during the time these things happened. I'll give you a second to stop laughing at me...

In their defense, they had already started filming it prior to getting caught. Sofia Coppola really was spot on when handling these characters. I felt like she didn't judge them, which is how I felt watching Pretty Wild at first. (Before they talked about Alexis being arrested) I had no idea who these girls were when I started watching. They were pretty with tons of tattoos. They wore lots of dark make up and frequently spazzed out. They're obviously too privileged and lack the proper parental supervision, but the fact that they actually pulled his off so many times is a bit remarkable. I hope they all learned their lessons and can do something to better themselves as adults. If you take a look at Alexis' blog, she seems to be getting her shit together. They're all out of jail now. To be perfectly honest, I'd love to hear Rachel Lee's (Chang's character) perspective on all of this now. She always stayed quiet.

Plus the film sort of answered a question I had always wondered, and that's how Tess Taylor/Sam wasn't arrested with everyone else. Apparently she wasn't on the surveillance video. As a female who likes to dress up, I guess I can see the obsession with the celebrity culture. What girl wouldn't love to own a pair of Louboutins? It's easy to flip through a magazine and see a look you like, and imagine yourself in something similar. Though logical people would just head to the mall to go shopping instead of robbing people. I accidently walked out of a store with sunglasses in my hand once, and I felt guilty as hell. I can't imagine stealing a gigantic wad of cash with no conscious. 

That's not to say the film is without its faults. It feels a bit repetitive, with so many scenes of them robbing houses. Some scenes feel like they go a few minutes too long. (Marc dancing in front of his webcam, Sam playing with Brian Austin Green's gun) You could tell Emma Watson really struggled with the valley girl accent. (Though if you've seen Pretty Wild, she's kind of spot on) I feel a little bad that Watson is the most talked about when the other actors in the film show so much potential. Especially Farmiga, Broussard, and Chang.

I do have to express my disappointment that Nicki was wearing Louboutins in her court scene, and not $29.00 Bebe shoes. Seriously though, watch this scene from Pretty Wild. Unfortunately I couldn't find a clip that didn't have The Soup in it.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I would never do that to you." - Rebecca (Katie Chang)