Some movies age into cult favorites because they feel timeless. Others get more fascinating because they’re such a perfect snapshot of a very specific moment in pop culture. The Bling Ring is definitely the second kind. Sofia Coppola’s glossy, chaotic true-crime drama still feels like one of the sharpest movies about fame obsession, celebrity worship, and empty Los Angeles aspiration in the social-media era.
That’s why now is a good time to revisit it. The Bling Ring is currently available on Pluto TV, and it appears in the platform’s rotating “Leaving Soon” section, which usually means its free-streaming window is nearing the end. Pluto also currently lists the film in its on-demand catalog in the U.S.
Released in 2013, The Bling Ring was written and directed by Sofia Coppola and based on the real-life group of fame-obsessed teens who burglarized celebrity homes after tracking their targets online. The film stars Emma Watson as Nicki Moore, Katie Chang as Rebecca Ahn, Israel Broussard as Marc Hall, Taissa Farmiga as Sam Moore, Claire Julien as Chloe Tainer, Leslie Mann as Laurie Moore, and Georgia Rock as Emily Moore. The cast also includes Carlos Miranda as Rob Hernandez and Gavin Rossdale as Ricky.
Is ‘The Bling Ring’ Worth Watching?
Collider’s review stated that The Bling Ring offers a sharp but ultimately surface-level critique of celebrity obsession and entitlement culture. While Sofia Coppola accurately captures the narcissism and fame fixation that drove the real-life crimes behind the story, the film struggles to say anything particularly new about the culture it’s attempting to critique. Visually, Coppola captures the glamorous, hollow world her characters inhabit with stylish cinematography and party scenes that blur together in a haze of music, flashing lights, and excess.
“The Bling Ring has an opportunity to lessen or at least re-evaluate our open disgust and pity towards celebrity culture. Instead, Coppola has made what could easily be a slightly artsy made-for-VH1 movie. The Bling Ring isn’t patient zero when it comes to obsessing over celebrities. That obsession came from somewhere. Perhaps it was mass media; perhaps it was being spoiled; perhaps it was an outgrowth of a desire for popularity (I harbor a suspicion that those who are interested in celebrity culture are those who always wanted to be in the popular crowd but never were); or perhaps it was a combination of factors. Despite missing these more interesting questions, The Bling Ring is still a valid critique, but it’s also as shallow as its characters.”
The Bling Ring is streaming on Pluto TV until the end of the month.
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