THE BLING RING   3.0***

            "Cop lights, flash lights, spot lights, strobe lights, street lights, fast life, drug life, thug life, rock life, every night"     These Kanye West lyrics, sung along to on a joyride by two of the main characters, pretty much sum up the themes of this film which is, in fact, based upon a true story. The story is about a group of  teenagers who in the course of the movie become “grand theft’ criminals. They  live in Los Angeles and  are blinded by the glitz,  the BLING and glamor of the  Hollywood celebrities who live nearby, and these teens become completely taken in by its superficiality. They carry out their crimes not only with a staggering lack of guilt or remorse but also with  a greedy boastfulness. The group commits many robberies, all the while posting photos of their exploits and spoils on Facebook and boasting to their friends,  even casual acquaintances.. When they are finally caught, they have stolen millions of dollars’ worth of property from such stars as Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and others. The amazing thing is that they do not have to break into any of the stars’ homes… they always find an unlocked door or window and  and no security alarms.

Israel Broussard's Marc and Katie Chang's Rebecca serve as the two main characters but it's Emma Watson's fantastic portrayal of the hilariously vain and spoiled brat Nicki that steals the show. The most memorable as well as laugh-out-loud moments come in exchanges between Nicki and her "The Secret" obsessed mother (Leslie Mann).

With the exception of the male lead, we hardly know why the rest of the gang (the 4 teen girls) commits the crimes. Perhaps they are in search of immediate satisfaction, of acceptance, of fitting in with the absurd commercialism and the association between celebrities and certain name brands. The Director, Sofia Coppola is very good at letting us into this rare universe, and we are  overwhelmed by the way this group of people (the teens and the celebrities) lives.   Coppola's untraditional narrative style can throw some people off but she uses it perfectly here to thrust you into the world of these out-of-control teens, letting you be the judge rather than forcing her views upon you.

What makes the film somewhat  frightening is the possibility  that many younger viewers will see the actions and lifestyle of these teen characters as desirable and cool, and  that some will try to emulate them. Overall, the film left me feeling amazed at what they did and the ease by which they did it,  but depressed and empty about what happened, which I think was Coppola's goal in the first place.

Clark