Bling Ring, The (Blu-ray Review)

28 Sep, 2013 By: Ashley Ratcliff

Lionsgate
Drama
Box Office $5.85 million
$19.98 DVD, $24.99 Blu-ray
Rated ‘R’ for teen drug and alcohol use, and for language including some brief sexual references.
Stars Israel Broussard, Taissa Farmiga, Emma Watson, Leslie Mann.

The real-life group of reckless teenagers responsible for the string of burglaries at several celebrities’ homes in 2008 and ’09 are the basis for The Bling Ring, a fascinating story about the crime spree that made headlines.

Rebecca (Katie Change) and Marc (Israel Broussard), both troubled youths attending an alternative high school, bond while opening unlocked cars and stealing valuables parked in affluent areas. But the ease of getting free stuff only feeds their desire for more lavish things, so they start looking up the stars’ addresses and tracking their whereabouts to break in at opportune times. When they brag to their friends about their conquests, Nicki (Emma Watson), Sam (Taissa Farmiga) and Chloe (Claire Julien) join in on the “bling ring,” and start knocking off homes of the likes of Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom and Lindsay Lohan.

We all know how the story ends, but The Bling Ring succeeds in illuminating the underlying motives of the young criminals. It’s unsettling to see how effortless it was for these high schoolers to pull off burglaries of this magnitude. Thankfully, writer-director Sofia Coppola presents the thieves just as they are — cavalier and foolish — without trying to draw sympathy for their careless actions.

Bonus material includes making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Most enthralling, however, is the must-see “Scene of the Crime With Paris Hilton” featurette, as the socialite walks viewers through the real-life experiences of having her home burglarized six times by the burglars, who stole more than $2 million worth of jewelry and designer clothing. Interestingly, Hilton says she agreed to have a cameo and allow her home to be filmed because of her respect and admiration for Coppola.

About the Author: Ashley Ratcliff