The Bottom Line
- The costumes are stunning
- Shot in Versailles, the location is like a character unto itself - and it steals the film
- Pretty but pointless
- Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman have little to do but look good
- The songs and dialogue don't mesh with the authentic costumes and sets
- The story flits about as if Sofia Coppola couldn't decide where to focus
Description
- Based on the book by Antonia Fraser
- Starring Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, and Steve Coogan
- Rated PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity and innuendo
- Theatrical Release Date: October 20, 2006
Guide Review - Marie Antoinette Movie Review
Watching Kirsten Dunst munch on pretty pastries for two hours is not my idea of a good time. Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette snacks her way through life, taking only the occasional break to play dress up or actually carry on a conversation with another human being. It's not until the final act that Coppola allows Marie Antoinette to display anything greater than a marginal interest in life outside her protected circle. By that point, any possibility of the audience feeling anything toward the Queen of France, other than disdain, has long since passed. It's impossible to feel one iota of pain for a woman portrayed so one-dimensionally.
Backed by tunes from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bow Wow Wow, and The Cure, Coppola's lavish exploration of the marriage of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI has little of substance to offer audiences other than marvelous sets full of beautiful but boring people.
