| MARIE ANTOINETTE |
 2006 - Japan / France / USADirector: Sofia Coppola
- Reviewed by Vickie
The film tracks the teenage Marie from her home in Austria to her betrothal and subsequent marriage to nebbish Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman) and the couple’s fall from grace with the French public. Initially completely out of her element and behaving in a manner considered gauche, Marie is schooled in the ways of the royals by a persnickety comtesse (Judy Davis) and quickly learns that the life of a queen-in-training is one based almost entirely on leisure. Everything is done for her, from dressing for bed—which results in a light-hearted sequence demonstrating the duties based on the regal hierarchy—to picking out pets. As such, a large portion of the film is dedicated to Marie’s seemingly shallow existence, which is made up of concerts, lavish meals, sexless nights with her husband and the scorn of many, who see her as unfit for the position she occupies. Then, you know, things go awry and the country wants her dead. Bummer. To her credit, Coppola has created a gorgeous-looking film, with stunning shot composition and impeccable production design. Scenes unfold like paintings and their beauty extends to even the smallest detail. The meticulous positioning of actors and set pieces was clearly executed by a very keen eye, be it Coppola’s or that of her cinematographer, and the result is occasionally breathtaking. Much less impressive is the rest of the movie. Watching it felt a bit like watching a half-hearted Baz Luhrmann film—it was as though Coppola couldn’t decide between making an authentic period film or a funky modernized adaptation, so she didn’t commit to either option fully. The result is an ornate drama with random bits of contemporary dialogue or music, combined with some uneven performances and an unclear tone. Dunst, as mentioned, was my least favorite part of the entire production, which sort of sucks since she’s the lead and in almost every single frame. Her character is supposed to be 14, but she plays the part like the twentysomething woman she is. Her mannerisms, speech cadence and overall approach scream “21st-century girl!” and at no time did I buy her as Marie. Schwartzman was okay, but was simply doing a variation on every other Jason Schwartzman character of the past (i.e., the charming nerd). The remainder of the film’s actors seemed thrown together for stunt-casting purposes. Davis, once a force to be reckoned with onscreen, is reduced to a fairly inconsequential supporting turn, as are Molly Shannon, Shirley Henderson and Marianne Faithfull (?!). Oh, and white-hot mess Asia Argento turns up as a white-hot mess of a mistress for Louis’ father (Rip Torn). But for most of them my thought was, “Okay, WHY is he/she in this movie???” I’m sure there will be people who lurve this film and embrace its off-kilter approach. I’m also certain some audience members will loathe it outright and cite historical inaccuracies or blasphemous creative liberties. I sit somewhere in between, I guess. |
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Y’know… I just don’t buy Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette. I don’t. I
can’t. To me, it’s like casting Mischa Barton as Queen Elizabeth I or
Tara Reid as Margaret Thatcher. And, for that reason, I had a hard time
enjoying writer-director Sofia Coppola’s quirky biopic of the former
Queen of France.
