The Bling Ring is fun and entertaining, but pointless and ephemeral

The obsession with celebrity is nothing new, much like most things art likes to talk about. It is quite the same thing for the travails of disaffected youth, although there is a bit more of that in more wealthy countries — it becomes a parallel to the classic hero’s quest, the search for meaning by those that already have everything they need to survive. But one thing that has become particularly prevalent in recent years is the concept of someone “being famous for being famous,” a circular death spiral feeding on itself like the legendary Ouroboros. They become famous by virtue of association with others famous for talent or deed. And yet, media attention on the rich and beautiful has really always been around in one form or another, at least as far back as “media” goes. Think of the scandal sheets of the early 20th century or the gossip mongers of centuries even earlier. Nowadays it’s just easier for more people to be reached and think “you know, that could be me!” After all, they didn’t do anything — they just became famous, which isn’t entirely accurate. It’s a careful model followed by the rich wannabes seeking the spotlight. Is it any wonder that the impressionable youth wants in?

The Bling Ring is a film from Sofia Coppola, based on the real life events chronicled in the Vanity Fair article “The Suspects Wore Louboutins” by Nancy Jo Sales, about a group of teenagers that robbed the homes of some of these rich folk. The movie mostly follows the perspective of the new kid in town, Marc (Israel Broussard), who acts as the catalyst to really get things going, but only because he is befriended by Rebecca (Katie Chang) who’s already a delinquent. Soon enough they discover that Paris Hilton (famous for having rich parents which she parlayed into a sex tape and a vapid reality show) will be out of town for a party, so they break into her home and steal things, because who would notice anything missing? A fair point. But then their friends get on board, including Nicki (Emma Watson) who is charismatic, amoral, and artificial (she’s also home schooled by her mother, played by Leslie Mann — terribly though). The robberies get more frequent and more blatant, moving on from such luminaries as Audrina Patridge (famous for being rich and having a vapid reality show) to legitimate actors like Rachel Bilson and Orlando Bloom. But we know these kids will get caught — it’s in the opening few seconds of the movie, after all — the question is when and how… and whether or not anyone’s learned anything.

The movie is shot beautifully and truly draws you into the dangerous crimes these kids are performing, with one particular external tracking shot that was luminous and entrancing. Nobody slouches here in terms of acting, although Emma Watson is excellent as the terrible person she portrays, while Katie Chang is great as the off-putting but persuasive schemer and Israel Broussard is decent as the lone voice of reason who’s constantly going along with it anyway.  But despite looking amazing and having great acting, the movie fails to really say anything important. None of these characters are particularly worth investing in emotionally, because they’re all barely thinking about consequences and don’t really care about hurting people (even the rich ones that can recover easily). There are few very tense scenes that work suspensefully, and a few laughs here and there. But ultimately it seems as lightweight and uncaring as the kids it’s purporting to talk about. Sure, celebrity obsession can be dangerous, leading in real ways to criminal and dangerous acts, and yes, young men can be stupid.

Perhaps the movie is constrained by the subject matter — we know what will happen in the end, so there can be no true tension. And yet, films based in reality like Argo managed to pull it off — so maybe that wasn’t the point. Maybe the point is that there is no point, and our culture is broken and poisoned, even more so than in ages past. But I don’t think so — context is everything, and nothing exists in a vacuum. Particular acts against the moneyed nobility (celebrities) are always responded to with overwhelming force, more so than is warranted. Money has always entranced those without it (they want it) and those with it (they want more). Perhaps we shouldn’t be so shocked or saddened when things like this happen; maybe we can actually figure our priorities out. Or you know, watch a movie or something.