Viewing Sofia Coppola's ""Marie Antoinette"" is a lot like spending two hours walking through a fine art gallery. Save for a few pieces of intrigue, it is, above all, a lavish visual tour. Lacking moments of climax, the film rolls along at a truly languid pace that proves enjoyable simply for its aesthetic appeal.
Coppola should be thanked for not making another historical drama bogged down in fact, climactic battle scenes and another rendition of the same story we are all familiar with. In fact, the film is a coming-of-age story for Antoinette and mentions very little of the revolution raging outside the walls of Versailles. The film concentrates on the gluttonous yet often monotonous world of royalty, and even through her exhaustive shopping sprees and excessive indulgences we begin to empathize with Marie and realize the complete seclusion that she has from the goings-on of the outside world.
This seclusion, though accurately portrayed, proves detrimental to the plot. The snippets from the revolution that are revealed leave a longing for more of its grittiness and chaos. Also, the ending is on the same drowsy note as the rest of the movie (read: no mention of Marie's encounter with the guillotine). Even for those who don't like intense scenes of violence and gore, there is sense of dissatisfaction when the credits start to roll.
As Marie, Kirsten Dunst gives a respectable rendition of a 14-year-old girl thrown into the luscious life of royalty, but her performance is sometimes awkward. This could be a result of her unfamiliarity with historical roles, rather than consummate acting skills. Ultimately only semi-impressive, Dunst may have overstepped the thin line separating her Marie Antoinette from the modern-day Paris Hilton. As for King Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), his deadpan attitude and utter inattentiveness to his wife add a touch of covert humor to the film.
Apart from the visual stimulation, which Coppola never fails to deliver, the film is sprinkled with an '80s new wave soundtrack that brings a few kicks to the plot and accentuates the general immaturity and decadence of the ruling class. However, the modern music could have had a much larger impact had it been placed in less obvious scenes than Antoinette's stints as the ultimate socialite.
In short, ""Marie Antoinette"" is a pretty film that has all the ingredients for innovation. A great director, a well-known and youthful cast and an intriguing choice of soundtrack would have been a fabulous dessert had the main course included more plot and dramatic substance. But filling up on dessert never leaves anything but a tummy ache and a few regrets.
