“Let’s go to Paris’. I want to rob!”

Chad’s rating: The kids are not alright in this sharp, satirical look at the teenagers who robbed Hollywood.

Chad’s review: It was a story so weird and wild that it could only happen in Hollywood. In 2008 and 2009, five L.A.-based teenagers brazenly broke into the celebrity mansions of Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Orland Bloom, and others, collectively stealing over $3 million in high-priced merchandise. The fact that they got away with it was surprising enough, but even more shocking was how easy it was. Hilton literally left a key to her house under a doormat. For nearly a year, these fame-obsessed kids turned many celebrity mansions into their personal Bloomingdales, raiding the same homes multiple times.

In 2013, director Sofia Coppola dramatized these outlandish events in her highly entertaining feature The Bling Ring. Based on the popular Vanity Fair article “The Suspect Wore Louboutins,” Coppola brings a slight satirical edge as she explores how this group of five teenagers became modern-day robber barons. It wasn’t out of some Robin Hood-style plight against the rich and famous but instead a chance to be part of that exclusive club and enjoy the spoils of material wealth that they felt entitled to.

The film makes a convincing case that this “bling ring” was the product of the TMZ-fueled pop culture landscape of the early 2000s. It was when wealthy heiresses like Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, and Kim Kardashian made headlines for being rich and partying all night. This was the era of reality TV, with hits like American Idol and Survivor turning ordinary citizens into celebrities overnight. Combine this with the rise of social media like Facebook and Twitter, empowering us common folk to be superstars in our private circles. It’s no wonder that “Main Character Syndrome” is now a thing.

Many of these themes are woven throughout the movie as we meet Marc, an awkward gay teenager navigating his first day at a new high school. There, he befriends the feisty Rebecca. From their first conversation, they develop a breezy, playful chemistry. On a whim, Rebecca dares Marc to help her break into the wealthy enclave of one of his past hookups. Marc is stunned by how stealthy his new friend snaps the locks and waltzes into the Calabasas-based mansion, stealing a wad of $100 bills and a designer purse. To seal the deal, they take the owner’s convertible Porsche for a joyride, going down to the famed Melrose Drive on an afternoon shopping spree.

A few days later, Marc reads on TMZ that Paris Hilton is partying in Vegas, and Rebecca wonders if anyone is watching Paris’ mansion. This modern-day Bonnie and Clyde spring into action, inviting their friends Chloe, Sam, and Niki to join the fun. Using the key under the doormat trick, they waltz into Hilton’s extravagant house, and the good times begin. But they don’t stop there, hitting many other out-of-town celebrities’ homes, like Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, and Ashley Tisdale, making their way with high-end, designer goods — which they promptly post with selfies on Facebook.

But when they break into Lindsey Lohan’s pad, whom Rebecca is obsessed with, the group is captured on video, allowing the authorities to crack down on their crime spree. Soon, these shameless teenagers are rounded up, finally facing the consequences of their actions. In a sense, they found the fame and validation they were craving.

Coppola assembled a nice mix of character actors and unknowns to bring these bold and superficial characters to life. It’s fun to see Leslie Mann pop up as Sam and Nicki’s New Age mom, giving her daughters Adderall and homeschooling in the ways of “The Secret” vision boards. I loved watching Emma Watson shed her Hermione persona from Harry Potter, inhabiting her vapid Nicki character with a perfect So-Cal accent. Her “I need to grow as a spiritual human being” speech that opens the film showed that this former child actress would be a big star.

Yet the performances of virtual unknowns Israel Broussard and Katie Chang as Marc and Rebecca are the most affecting. While these two are the ringleaders, they also represent the superego and id of these heists. Chang gives Rebecca a cold desperation as she cheats and lies to enter that exclusive world she idolizes. Only Marc has any moral compass and worries they may have crossed a line. His character is the most tragic, as he finds love and acceptance as a gay man through his relationship with Rebecca — a relationship that is both sweet and toxic.

The Bling Ring is probably Coppola’s most sharp and focused picture, and she brings her usual light touch behind the camera. She utilizes a documentary style here, using natural light and films on location in the Hollywood Hills. Paris Hilton even allowed the production to shoot in her actual home. There, we see the film’s best sequence as our teen looters wade through Hilton’s decadent shoe closet (complete with a chandelier), trying on clothes and shoes like they are at a department store. It takes on a surreal art vs. reality experience watching the thievery that took place at Hilton’s mansion filmed at Hilton’s mansion.

Accenting many of these scenes are images of the social media posts that the teens took after their many conquests. This ends up being a costly mistake, as the police would later use these posts to track them and gather evidence. The film briefly touches on the many club owners who turned a blind eye and serviced many of these underage teenagers with alcohol and drugs. And as they gawk at celebs like Kirsten Dunst or Jude Law, they take their many selfies, resembling celebrities pausing to allow the paparazzi to snap their pictures.

The Bling Ring is a breezy 90-minute watch but packs quite a punch. It’s a perfect companion to Coppola’s 2006 epic Marie Antoinette, as both explore teenage corruption in a desperate search for wealth and fame. While Coppola changed the characters’ names for legal reasons, this motley crew mirrors their real-world counterparts. And if you’re interested in The Bling Ring’s real-life tale, many documentaries have been produced over the years, including Netflix’s The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist.