Rated R for teen drug and alcohol use, and for language including some brief sexual references.
Starring Emma Watson, Leslie Mann and Kirsten Dunst
Directed by Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides)
The Bling Ring was boring.
In the fame-obsessed world of Los Angeles, a group of teenagers take us on a thrilling and disturbing crime-spree in the Hollywood hills. Based on true events, the group, who were fixated on the glamorous life, tracked their celebrity targets online, and stole more than 3 million in luxury goods from their homes. Their victims included Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson, and the gang became known in the media as “The Bling Ring.”
OK first of all, the movie is 90-minutes and feels more like a 30 minute sitcom with 60 minutes of mindless fluff. And by fluff I mean meaningless shots, collages and repeated scenes of these brats robbing the Hollywood elite. There really is no story. Most of the movie is kids playing around with shoes and bags reciting dialogue like “Oh my god!” or “wow!” (about 500 lines worth) – it’s actually worse than it sounds.
The directing is not great either. Coppola uses more color schemes than teenagers use filters on Instagram. The cast is shallow, flighty, reckless, irresponsible, self-centered and extremely irritating, and their characters are just as bad. I just wanted this movie to end. It’s a “Coaster!”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The girls are seen in their bras and panties, several revealing outfits and bikinis. Drug use is throughout the film and there are 30 f-words (1 in text), 20 s-words and around two-dozen other profanities.
Older teens engage intensely in reckless behavior.
CONVERSATION STARTER
- What are some of the crimes the girls commit?
- How did they get caught?
- In Numbers 32:23 It says that “your sin will find you out.” What do you think that verse means?
- When was the last time you experienced “getting caught”? What happened?
- Read 1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
We have all sinned, and we all need to confess our sins. Spend some time in silence confessing your sins and then close in prayer together.
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.