By Debbie Schlussel
I liked all the new movies at the box office this weekend. Two were decent. One was absolutely fabulous. (I did not see Monsters University. Sorry.)
* “The Bling Ring“: I expected to hate this movie, based on the real-life story of a group of Los Angeles-area teens who rob the homes of their favorite celebrities. But I really liked it, as an excellent portrait of today’s fame-obsessed, airheaded, Valley Girl-esque youth, who feel they are entitled to the good life without working for it, that they can just steal it. It was also a great insight into the clueless, vapid parents littered all over America. The movie was funny, entertaining, fast-paced, and didn’t leave you bored for a second. It’s also a great statement on today’s celebrities, who didn’t actually do anything substantive to earn their fame, for the most part. Paris Hilton, whose real-life, gaudy brothel-esque home was used in the filming of this movie, makes a cameo, and she’s Exhibit A (she’s famous for making a porno tape and little else).
A fashion conscious glamor girl from Calabasas, California befriends the new guy at high school, and they start breaking into homes of rich kids they know are out of town, stealing glamorous fashion items and jewelry (bling) from the homes. Soon, the two and the rest of their friends are breaking into various celebrities’ homes when they learn online that the celebs are out of town. They steal the celebrities’ expensive designer clothes, shoes, purses, and other items (including a gun), and they’re brazen about it, including on social media. (The celebrities include Hilton, Rachel Bilson, Lindsay Lohan, and others of that age group.) Read the rest of this entry »