The Bling Ring Site

Yes, that Emma Watson. Fresh off Harry Potter , she delivers her most divisive performance as Nicki, a vapid, aspiring reality star who speaks in self-help platitudes ( “I want to live in the now, and be, like, totally mindful.” ). Her American accent wobbles, her posture is rigid, and her lines are delivered with a bizarre, staccato rhythm. Is it bad acting? Or brilliant parody of a girl who has no inner life? I lean toward the latter. Watson is genuinely hilarious and frightening in her shallowness.

You’ll walk away disgusted by the teens, disturbed by celebrity worship, and oddly desperate to organize your own closet. The Bling Ring

The film’s biggest weakness is its own aesthetic. Coppola’s signature style—soft lighting, slow zooms, a soundtrack of thumping club music—is gorgeous, but it keeps the audience at arm’s length. We never get inside these kids’ heads. Are they sociopaths? Victims of neglect? Addicted to dopamine hits from Instagram likes? The film raises these questions but refuses to answer them, preferring to float above the action like a bored ghost. Yes, that Emma Watson

On its surface, The Bling Ring sounds like a wild, juicy heist movie. Based on a true story, it follows a group of fame-obsessed Los Angeles teenagers who robbed the homes of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, and other celebrities, stealing over $3 million in cash and designer goods. Is it bad acting

The film opens with a key sequence: our narrator, Marc (Israel Broussard), watches a home video of Paris Hilton’s closet—a cavernous, pink-carpeted cathedral of heels, bags, and dresses. The teens don’t break in with ski masks and crowbars. They Google celebrity addresses, check Twitter to see who’s out of town, and simply walk through unlocked doors.