Marie Antoinette

AroView: Writer-director Sofia Coppola lets a fetching Kirsten Dunst eat cake (and then some) as a reluctant Queen in late-18th century Versailles, stifled by the protocol and responsibility of French royalty, while simultaneously enamored by the wealth of riches at her disposal.

A thinly veiled allegory for the vacuous lifestyles of the modern-day socialite or heiress, the film paints a similarly vacant portrait of Antoinette’s teenaged exploits, including regular parties, pampering, fashion therapy and the occasional girl’s night out, while greatly sympathizing her documented struggle to conceive an heir to the throne. Dunst makes for an incandescent teen queen in what is a decadent feast for the eyes and ears.