Karma strikes back!

Bling Ring is yet another meditative film by Sophia Coppola on the American dream – and the reflection is not flattering. Based on the true story of the robberies of the rich and famous, Coppola holds up a mirror to America (and possibly Western society more generally) about the price of chasing fame and the degradation of youth.

The film is set in Los Angeles, California, and follows a group of teenagers, led by Marc (Israel Broussard) and Rebecca (Katie Chang), as they break into the houses of A-list celebrities while they are out partying. After initially restricting themselves to just Paris Hilton’s house, the group get more ambitious and their lack of care eventually sees them caught and jailed. However, the story is really about Marc’s attempt to be recognised and valued by Rebecca along with Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Taissa Farmiga) searching for their big break in Hollywood.

As with Somewhere, Marie Antoinette and Lost in Translation, Coppola again focuses on the nature of celebrity and the boredom of the rich. Just as Somewhere devoted 10 or more minutes to pole dancing, Bling Ring is not afraid to spend long takes on seemingly repetitious ransacking of celebrity closets and night club drinking/dancing sessions. However, unlike Somewhere, these seem more purposeful with a stronger and more pertinent message about youth culture. In particular, this is like a sanitised version of Spring Breakers, where the ‘selfie’ infested culture of Facebook and binge drinking are glorified. As Marc says at the end of the film, he checked his Facebook page and had 800 new friend requests. Of course he accepted them without checking but he did wonder whether this was a good way to achieve fame.

This youth culture is typified by the soundtrack that contains a who’s who of modern club(?) music (at least to this non-clubbing reviewer). This helps connect the scenes of robbery with the group’s relaxation at their favourite night club while also keeping the film moving at a good pace. The performances are good but not spectacular – exactly how it should be. This is a film about rich kids gone crazy and their blasé approach to crime, drugs and alcohol match the script neatly. Moreover, Coppola is able to capture the contradiction inherent in this generation: selfish yet humanitarian as is shown when Nicki states in interviews during the film that she wants to be leader one day and this is just a huge learning experience. While the audience laughed at this line, this is the confounding truth of youth culture today – selfish yet optimistically selfless.

This film is another good performance by Sofia Coppola and complements her other works well in terms of theme, production and even font used in the opening titles. The performances by the cast and camera work are solid with an interesting soundtrack. That being said, those who found Somewhere boring may find the repeated scenes of robberies a little repetitive but I think this misses the point she is trying to make. So if you want to get a glimpse of youth culture go and see this film because if you don’t like what you see then there is still time to change it.

Summer, divorce and being a 3 out of 10

Sam Rockwell (middle) and Liam James (right) are superb 

The Way Way Back, directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, is a fun film about divorce, summer and being a 3 out of 10. Throw in a killer soundtrack and a great ensemble cast and you have a perfect coming of age film.

The film is about Duncan, a teenager forced to go on summer holidays with his mum’s new boyfriend and queen-bee daughter. Initially despondent at the prospect of long summer days with the narcissistic and critical Trent (Steve Carell), he soon starts up a friendship with Owen (Sam Rockwell), who is the laid back, juvenile, joking manager of the local water park. The story that unfolds is not surprising: Duncan comes out of his shell, develops a love interest, has a conflict with Trent and comes to value himself. Australian actor Toni Collete plays Duncan’s mum Pam with supporting rolls by Allison Janney as the alcoholic neighbour and Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet as the too close for comfort friends.

The best parts of this film were the soundtrack and supporting cast. Containing music from Edie Brickell, UFO and Ben Kweller, it provides the perfect back drop to the unfolding drama without dominating the scenes. It seems like the perfect CD mix tape for a summer vacation and leaves you feeling relaxed and happy. Similarly, the performances by the supporting cast are wonderful. Sam Rockwell once again shines with his portrayal of the man child Owen. The polar opposite of Duncan, his initial perplexity at how to connect with the confused teenager blossoms into a friendship that allows both to grow. Rockwell brings his trademark cool to the movie, I did find myself wishing to be him even if just for one summer, with his talent for being able to turn on his serious side when required. Allison Janney is also great as the brash, alcoholic neighbour who seems more interested in the next party and wonders why her children are so disconnected. The main cast are also solid with protagonist Duncan, played by Liam James, pulling off the awkward teenager with aplomb – his romantic scene is the highlight.

The one slight downside to this film was the performance of Steve Carell as Trent. Unlike his previous role in Little Miss Sunshine, by the same producers, his character seemed too much like a two dimensional douche bag. While he carried of the role well, it was probably a lack of screen time that really prevented his character from developing depth and thus his conflict with Duncan became obviously one sided. Similarly, Toni Collete as Pam seemed too weak and I found it hard to sympathise with her. It wasn’t until the end of the film that she really shone and once again this could be due to the lack of screen time.

All up this was a sentimental, fun, coming of age, summer vacation film. Faxon and Rash manage to balance the sentimental, conflicting and fun aspects of the film expertly and thus leave the viewer with a relaxed sense of joy. The soundtrack is one of the best in films I have seen this year with stellar performances by Sam Rockwell and Liam James. This is a must see for those who enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine and is well worth the price of admission.