Talented directors can miss the mark every now and then. Case in point: Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring”, an empty exercise that makes “Marie Antoinette” look like “The Godfather”.  I admit: it had me going for a while. The fact based story follows Nicki (Emma Watson) and a bunch of kids who decide to rob the homes of various celebrities including Paris Hilton and Rachel Bilson while they’re out of town. Sounds like fun. Director Coppola follows her instinct, no matter how silly, leaving plot, character and logic to catch up. She also makes sure that her characters (with the exception of Watson’s) remain one-dimensional and hopelessly annoying from start to finish, which in turn prevents us from showing an ounce of sympathy for them. Leslie Mann, who plays Nicki’s mom does her best. And Watson, free of “Harry Potter”, does better. She’s a live wire. If you want to see her in something completely different, now’s your chance. Too bad the movie itself is rarely as good as she is.

Rating: 2/4