Looking atSofia Coppola’s body of work leading up to 2013’sThe Bling Ring, one wouldn’t think the director would want to take the project on. The real-life tale of a group of fame-obsessed teens that used the internet to track and steal from celebrities is a bit of a departure from her previous work that focused on the female perspective. However, Coppola tapped into an element of the story that is still relevant today. We still live in a celebrity-driven culture, and even though the film is over ten years old, and the actual events go back to 2008, the director’s snapshot of that time rings more true even today.
The real story ofThe Bling Ring, also known as The Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, revolvedaround seven teenagerswho lived in and around Calabasas, California. Not content with their already affluent lives and so consumed by celebrity culture that it bordered on obsession, they began to break into the homes of several high-profile celebrities between Oct. 2008 and Aug. 2009.
They would use the internet to track when a certain celebrity wouldn’t be home and would ultimately make their abode their personal shopping mall. Socialite Paris Hilton was their primary target, but across all of their thefts, it was believed that they stole about $3 million in cash and other belongings. The story is so off the wall that it almost sounds like the plot of a film, but it was certainly real life. Something so real that Coppola felt compelling enough to explore on the big screen.
The Bling Ring Speaks on a Fame-Bbssesed Culture That Is Still Relevant Today
Sofia Coppola began developing her screenplay forThe Bling Ringin 2011, and what enticed her more than the actual robberies was seeing the teenage criminals as “products of our growing reality TV culture,“according to the director. They see a lifestyle on TV and want to emulate it, and they’ll do anything to get it. It was also interesting to the director that it appeared that the teens involved in these crimes didn’t believe they were doing anything wrong.
They were so into the celebrities they were robbing that they almost believed they would be flattered if they caught them wearing their stolen accessories. There was also the notion that some A-listers had so much stuff they wouldn’t even notice if some was missing. It was twisted justification to make their actionsseem less criminal, and, for some of the women in the group, Coppola felt the story dealt with “girls trying on other people’s stuff to find themselves.”
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The film is also Sofia Coppola’s most commercially accessible release. While the project stars mostly unknowns, it was a stroke of genius to castHermione Granger herself, Emma Watson, as one of the members of the teen thieves. Given her time with theHarry Potterfranchise, her inclusion alone built interest in the project at the time of its release, even if she wasn’t the film’s star despite the trailers desperately wanting you to believe she was.
In addition to her casting, the subject matter is also more universal. Everyone may not know what it’s like to find themselves in a foreign country (Lost in Translation) or know the life of France’s ill-fated queen (Marie Antoinette), but you might just have a passing knowledge ofTMZand the who’s who of Hollywood. Even Sofia Coppola found herself having fun jumping into a worldshe wasn’t all too familiar with:
“It’s just really fun to indulge this style that’s so different from my own. I’m more associated with being understated and [with] good taste, I think, and it’s fun to be really obnoxious.”
There is a perception that Coppola would know this lifestyle because, as her famous last name indicates, she is what some would call a nepo baby of the film industry. Given her pedigree, one wouldn’t blame you at first if you scoffed at the notion of her directing a family about privilege and the Hollywood lifestyle. The upside to her being entrenched in this on any level is that it makes her perfect to critique it. Coppola’s script walks a fine line between real-life reenactments and satire that gives the story a bite that packs an even bigger punch today. She sees the vapidness of the situation but also acknowledges it’s a symptom of a culture we continue to live in.
In many ways,The Bling Ringis a product of its time. The music choices in the film reflect the era, as do the fashion and the stars that were the subject of the robberies. In addition to Hilton, you alsohad Lindsay Lohan, Rachel Bilson, Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green, and Orlando Bloom, among others, who were also victims.
As the characters show off their new digs, they do so on occasion while filming themselves miming to songs as they wear sunglasses inside. It captures a pocket of the mid-2000s that is undeniable, but even though the film reflects a certain time period,The Bling Ringcould be watched today through the same fame-obsessed lens.
TikTok stars like Addison Rae or pop singers like Olivia Rodrigoor Taylor Swifthave a swarm of fans that idolize their every move and act as if they truly know them personally. Through social media, the relationship between celebrities and fans has appeared to grow closer. Celebrities have to use a lot of this for self-promotion while giving off the impression that they’re accessible to fans, but some of that fanbase can take that accessibility too seriously and think the connection is much deeper than it actually is. In 2023, that obsession among some fans is just as strong as it was in 2013 when the film was released, which gives Sofia Coppola’s work on that project a timeless quality.
The Bling Ring Doesn’t Dive Deep But Speaks on a Pocket of Society
The Bling Ringisn’t Sofia Coppola’s deepest work, but it doesn’t long to be. She knows that the circumstances are shallow, and she doesn’t make an effort to dive into their psyche. This was seen as a detriment by some critics when the film came out. In fact, despite having a borderline 60 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the site’s consensus states the opinion of most critics best by saying, “While it’s certainly timely and beautifully filmed,The Bling Ringsuffers from director Sofia Coppola’s failure to delve beneath the surface of its shallow protagonists' real-life crimes.”
It could be narratively satisfying to dig deeper, but Coppola saw the story as it was.These were kidswith basic human impulses. They were greedy; they wanted what they wanted, and they went for it. It’s not hard to spot their narcissism, and the audience doesn’t need a lesson on it. What is more relevant is how the culture at the time influenced them and how that culture continues to do that today with a new generation of kids.
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The movie is more about the desire to obtain the untouchable, and that is something that rang utterly true then, and it will continue to do so today and in the years ahead. The reason the film continues to resonate today is because it offers a compelling look at celebrities and their presence on social media. What does that all mean, and what does it invite? Through the film, we see it allows the celebrity to craft a specific image while attracting fans that equal parts adore them and envy them.
It would be easy to viewThe Bling Ringas a shallow movie while trying not to include it with some of Sofia Coppola’s more critically lauded efforts. Perhaps that shallowness is very true, but it’s also very realistic. We see much of what the film speaks about in today’ssocial media influencer cultureand the fans who want a piece of it.
At one point, one of the burglar bunch, Marc (Israel Broussard), says that this lavish lifestyle is something that “everyone kind of wants.” This isn’t a notion stuck in the mid-2000s. There are people out there who believe this wholeheartedly and will do what’s necessary to obtain it. There is no real message inThe Bling Ring, but it continues to shine a light on fame and how out-of-hand fan obsessions can get when left unchecked.
