1. The Soundtrack
You get what you expect with Coppola: she invariably plays the same cards with all of her movies, preferring style over substance and story, and filling her screentime with engaging, and intrusive musical interludes. That is of course the case with The Bling Ring as well - music plays a big part in the culture she is presenting, so it fits to have it play as big a part in the narrative. And the song choices aren't at all bad - some are recognisable (like Azealia Banks' filthtastic "212") and others less so, but that in itself is a Coppola characteristic (given her obvious artistic yearning to set trends.) The problem - excuse me while I sound middle-aged and out of touch - is that the mix on the songs is WAY too loud. Atmosphere is one thing, but when the music used completely obliterates important dialogue, you should probably question whether you've prioritised wrong. The Bling Ring is the kind of film you will definitely have to turn down when watching it on blu-ray as soon as any music kicks in, unless you want your walls knocked down by angry neighbours, or your eardrums to burst. Yes, Sofia, we know you like music, but there's no need to act like an adolescent and blare it as an insistent statement. The Bling Ring is released on 14th June.
Check out my full review from the Cannes film festival here.