Director Sofia Coppola is known for her odd and offbeat films The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation. This film is definitely in that same quirky category yet in a category all its own. It's a sort of historical biography teen flick with an '80s soundtrack.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the film provides a different view of the French queen Antoinette, who’s most famous or infamous for her flippant "let them eat cake" comment and her crude demise. Don't worry. There are no beheadings in the film. The pre-queen teen is forced to leave her home, her family, friends, EVERYTHING behind. The clothes are stripped from her back and her puppy from her arms for she is only to have what is French now. You can’t help but feel sorry for her. Antoine (as her mother calls her) is played by Kirsten Dunst, a teen movie staple who also starred in The Virgin Suicides. She is wonderful in portraying her as a young, naïve, and sweet Austrian girl whose marriage is arranged with a somewhat clueless French prince Louis played by Jason Schwartzman.

The rituals the royals must follow are ludicrous and often obscene. On their wedding night, the marriage bed is surrounded by a room full of people including the king and a cardinal. In a later scene, the queen is forced to stand naked in a cold room while surrounded by women who ritually take turns attempting to dress her. Both king and queen are constantly interrogated regarding their sex life and continually urged to produce a child for the sake of France and Austria. No pressure or anything.

This of course would be probably enough to turn off even the horniest of teens. Months pass and an inexperienced Louis still finds it difficult to consummate the marriage. Antoinette, though, is the one who is chastised and ridiculed for not producing an heir. She turns to clothes, parties, food, drink, gambling, and an extramarital affair to fight the loneliness and rejection by her husband.

Finally, after instruction from Antoinette’s brother, the two produce a daughter and years later a (more valued) son. This appeases her countrymen for a short time. Still, Antoinette’s spending does not cease and this along with Louis’ support to America during the Revolutionary War, the French go hungry. The young Queen dismisses the newspaper quote "let them eat cake" stating to her friends that she would never say that. I think Coppola wants to believe this and makes the audience want to believe it also.

The film is historical fiction yet you can’t help but imagine that the Queen truly did just follow the social moirés of her class and did what was expected of her. You don’t believe she’s evil or wants her country to starve but is simply naïve and self-absorbed as most teens are.

Nearly two hours into the film, a riot breaks out and the Bastille is stormed. The King and Queen refuse to leave until the danger is just too great. The royal family is seen riding away in their carriage looking longingly at their castle, their home, that is soon pillaged.

Pop and punk music from the materialistic 1980s is a fantastic backdrop to the hedonistic lives of the privileged royalty and upper class of France. I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow plays as Antoinette and friends binge on sweets and perform personal fashion shows with her ever expanding wardrobe. This pairing of contemporary music with a period piece is similar to A Knight’s Tale. Both films are entertaining if not educational. I enjoyed the film while my husband said it was just okay and not what he expected. He claimed it was somewhat of a "chick flick" with not enough action.

Recommended: Yes

Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing