Teens Gone Wild: Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring

I suppose every generation is seen as a "lost generation" and the latest generation is served up in two films that masquerade as morality plays: Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers (2013) and Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring (2013). This is certainly Korine's most commercial film with TV actresses (Selan Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson) and Korine's wife, Rachel, playing bad girls who fund a spring break trip with a robbery. Once there they get into trouble and end up with gangster/rapper Alien (John Franco) channelling Gary Oldman's performance from true Romance. Ultimately, it is an exploitative opportunity to show scantily clad young people frolicking in the sun as there is no real message to the film, which is only mildly entertaining. That being said, it almost seems edgy in comparison to Coppola's film based on a real life scandal in which young fans of celebrities rob their hero's houses. I see that it is the first film of hers that was filmed without Lance Accord and it is noticeable. For me, it comes off like an after school special and isn't all that cinematic. I was looking for some popcorn entertainment recently, but I have to admit both films let me down and I guess I should have known better since those aspects of society don't really appeal to me, so the satire was lost on me.

Comments

[Edward]

You mean scantily clad young girls frolicking in the sun wasn't enough for you?? You've changed man! ;-)

[MC]

That being said I did prefer Spring Breakers to The Bling Ring.