In her "OK!" interview, Kristen Dunst warned filmgoers "not to expect an educational biopic of Marie Antoinette." The film corroborates this comment, creating a visual masterpiece that focuses upon the young queen's personal extravagances and idiosyncracies while largely failing to acknowledge the greater political issues and events of the period.
To say that the film is both myopic in scope and historically inaccurate in its depiction of the French Revolution is correct, but these statements fail to understand the film's premise.
Instead of providing an account of the events leading up to the French Revolution, director Sophia Coppola wanted to depict Marie's attempts to find her identity and her transformation into an adult. "I was thinking of this story from a teenage point of view," she explained in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly."
"I wanted the movie to have a playful nature, because it's really a kid's world, and I wanted it to have a kid's spirit," Coppola said. Marie's attempts integrate herself into the rigid world of Versailles and bond with her shy, lock-obsessed husband Louis XVI (played by Coppola's cousin Jason Schwartzman) provide an intimate and sympathetic portrayal of the young Marie.
However, as Marie becomes more successful both at court and in her marriage to Louis, the film deteriorates into almost random montages of Marie's machinations at court, wild partying, and frolicking in her infamous minature farmhouse.
These scenes of youthful rebellion have caused many critics to categorize "Marie Antoinette" as a teen film. In the words of "People," it's "Mean Girls Go to V." However, it seems as though we know more about the inner character and thoughts of Lindsay Lohan's character in "Mean Girls" than we do about Kristen Dunst's Marie.
The costumes and sets of "Marie Antoinette" are excellent, but viewers leave with a better idea of Marie's fashion sense than her actual feelings. With such an excellent cast and tumultuous era to work with, it is both surprising and disappointing than Coppola did not choose to further develop the relationships and personal growth of the young queen. "Marie Antoinette" is a fun film and viewers will enjoy the film's rock-filled soundtrack, which includes songs by Gang of Four and The Cure.
The visual treat of Marie's outrageous hairstyles and costumes also helps to provide stimulation in lieu of the sparse and often limpid script. However, as a window into Marie Antoinette's character, the film is far less successful.
Manolo Blankik, who designed the shoes for a delightful visual montage set to Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy," said that he found the queen "so inspiring." But, with only her partying and fashion sense to judge by, it seems difficult to formulate either a positive or negative opinion of the monarch. Much like the royal court of Versailles, the film loses itself under the empty weight of its insular and extravagant world.