No matter how talented the filmmaker, it is inevitable that they lay an egg. Often the dud comes right after a really good movie. Three "great" films in a row is rare. Rarer still is the trifecta to begin one's career. Paul Thomas Anderson arguably did it with his first three. Francis Ford Coppola had four in a row in the 70s, but his career began much earlier. Mike Nichols made two fantastic films before stumbling badly with Catch-22.
Sofia Coppola arrived on the directorial scene in 1999, best known for two things-her father and her terrible performance in Godfather Part III. The Virgin Suicides had a unique voice. That voice continued through to Lost in Translation, which cemented her auteur status.
Ok, so that is two films. What about the third? Well, Coppola certainly aimed high. A costumed period piece always has the potential for unmitigated disaster, if only for the reviewers who seem to take bountiful glee in tearing down such a work. Throwing in a contemporary soundtrack is filmmaking suicide.
So what is the result? Does Marie Antoinette succeed?
Well, the reviews have been decidedly mixed-53% at Rotten Tomatoes. Enough reputable reviewers have praised the film for it to be worth a shot. That's not enough consensus however to objectively say that Coppola has done it again. Hey, at least she remained ambitious and didn't make an Adam Sandler movie. And maybe I'll even like Marie when I get around to seeing it.
