The film has a fine cast and there are some original touches. The American actors speak unaccented English, without as much as a nod to any alien phones, for instance, despite the late 18th-century French setting. And there may be snatches of rococo music but most of the score is electronically amplified rock with, at one point, a singer belting out the old Frank Sinatra standard, "Fools Rush In." There are multiple close ups of lavish plates of exquisitely prepared and presented food. And minute examination of clothing, wigs, fabrics, jewelry, and period shoes -- especially shoes. (The hairdresser who dolls up Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette is a fairy and is played for laughs.) Miniature dogs. Lots of miniature dogs slurping up charlotte russes or other desserts.

Okay -- decadence in abundance. It might have taken ten minutes. Instead, that's what the entire film seems to be about.

You have to applaud the director's intent to do something different, something original. The problem is that it doesn't work. Rip Torn's speech doesn't sound too much out of place but most of the rest of the women sound like Valley Girls. And, boy, they gossip! In extended scenes, they gossip! They talk behind one another's back about hair styles and personalities -- "She's so political." Stuff you could find on MySpace.

It wouldn't take much in the way of rewriting to turn this story of self-indulgent aristos at Versailles into a handful of high school kids in El Cerrito. And it didn't need to be directed by Sophia Coppola. Martha Stewart could have phoned it in while under house arrest.

I don't know which audience this was aimed at, but I can recommend it for selected groups anyway. Those youngsters who, in a recent poll, identified Toronto as a city in Italy, for example. Or the fourteen percent of us who believe Barack Obama is a Muslim. Or that majority of high school seniors unable to place the American Civil War in its correct half century. At least they'd gain some familiarity with the dress of the period French court.

Kirsten Dunst is "Marie Antoinette" in this anachronistic 2006 film directed by Sofia Coppola. The other stars include Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn, Judy Davis, Marianne Faithful and Molly Shannon.

I can only guess that the reason for making this film was to show a teenage Queen of France cavorting with her girlfriends and shopping until she dropped while remaining oblivious to the plight and unhappiness of the French people. In actuality, that's probably pretty close to the truth about this historical figure. Norma Shearer was very good as Marie Antoinette, but she wasn't a kid. I think this version had the right idea. The only thing Coppola omitted was Marie's story, so the movie is instead about the above-mentioned teen partying, shopping, being unfaithful, wandering the grounds, while giving us a look at royal tradition, gorgeous costumes and dazzling scenery. Little else.

Marie Antoinette's life was full of drama - her liaisons with Axel von Fersen, the Affair of the Necklace, her husband's medical problem which prevented the couple from having children for so long, the revolution, the family being taken to prison, and the guillotine. Some of this is touched on or mentioned in passing; most of it is left out. There are five exciting minutes or so toward the end of the film.

In a way, it's a shame, because this film could have given us great insight into Marie Antoinette by having a very young woman play the Queen as these events swirled around her. But in order to do that, characters would have to have been developed, and there didn't seem to be any interest in that. If you love color, beautiful costumes and scenery, this is the film for you. Don't bother if you're looking for any kind of content; like the vacuous queen, there's no there there.

I really wanted to like this film, as it did have a lot going for it. However, it is lacking in a few too many things, such as substance. The film does look truly exquisite- the cinematography, costumes, sets, scenery, locations, interiors, wigs and makeup are truly sumptuous and a real feast for the eyes. The story did intrigue me too, while in terms of acting Kirsten Dunst is suitably naive and coquettish and Jason Schawartzman is a dashing yet shy Dauphin. While Rip Torn is surprisingly subtle. However, Marie Antoinette does suffer from being too long and I think too slow too. And the film is further disadvantaged by one too many anachronisms, particularly the music which is too contemporary for my liking and there is too much of it(ie. the masked rave to Siouxsie),and historically the film never feels authentic. Sophia Coppola's direction is unfocused too, too much is spent on the not-so-important moments and the more significant moments feel skimmed over in contrast, while the script is rather weak as it goes overboard with the sugar and froth. To conclude, not terrible but it is not great really. Worth seeing for the period detail, but little beyond that. 5/10 Bethany Cox