Marie Antoinette

When Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette was screened for critics at the Cannes Film Festival last May, it was greeted by a thunder of boos, followed, after a pause, by a smattering of applause. That's pretty much what is happening as the film gets its release in the U.S. Roger Ebert, in the Chicago Sun-Times, however, is among those applauding it. And in his review he surprisingly responds to the critics who have attacked it. "Every criticism I have read of this film would alter is fragile magic and reduce its romantic and tragic poignancy to the level of an instructional film," he writes. Rick Groen in the Toronto Globe & Mail offers this advice: "Call it eye candy stuffed with real candy. Call it a modern period piece. Call it a costume drama that, oops, forgot the drama. Cat-call it if you smoke Gauloises and booed it at Cannes. Or maybe just hold your tongue, sit back for two hours, and watch, because here's one thing about Marie Antoinette: It sure is easy to watch. And here's another: It's even easier to forget." Then there's this bit of advice from Claudia Puig in USA Today: "Let the audience eat cake rather than indulging in a movie ticket for Marie Antoinette."

Dunst, Schwartzmann, Davis and the other actors all excel in their roles. The imagery and costumes make this an enjoyable film as a period piece. The film fails from a writing and directing perspective. A serious portrayal of this time in history from a female point of view would be a worthy project but this film falls short.