Series Review: "The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist" (2022).

From the director of Strangers Making Babies comes The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist. This documentary series directed by Miles Blayden-Ryall. First there was the reality series, then came a Hollywood movie— but the truth about the Bling Ring burglaries has never been told…until now. 10 years after the notorious heists, the culprits have served their jail time and are coming forward to tell the real story behind the Hollywood Hills home-invasions that gripped the nation. A cautionary tale for teens today, the docuseries shows what can happen when a fame-and-celebrity-obsessed culture meets the rise of social media and spins wildly out of control.

A group of convicted thieves consisting of seven teenagers and young adults based in and around Calabasas, California, The Bling Ring (also known as Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, The Burglar Bunch, and the Hollywood Hills Burglars) broke into the homes of several high-profile celebrities over a period believed to have been between October 2008 through August 2009. Their activities resulted in the theft of about $3 million in cash and belongings. Much of the stolen property belonged to socialite Paris Hilton, whose house was broken into several times, though over fifty homes were reportedly targeted. The members consisted of Rachel Lee, Nick Prugo, Alexis Neiers, Diana Tamayo, Courtney Ames, Johnny Ajar, and Roy Lopez Jr. Their victims included Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox, and Lindsay Lohan. The group targeted media figures known for their fashionable tastes and stylish, status-driven lifestyles. Their primary targets were female, having been chosen, in the words of Prugo, "mainly because [of] women wanting women's stuff". If the members liked a celebrity's style, they became determined to steal the celebrity's clothes. Lee referred to their capers as "going shopping." They found the houses of their targets using Google Maps and website celebrityaddressaerial.com, and determined when the victims would be away by researching their schedules, such as appearances at celebrity events, through websites including Facebook and Twitter. When Lee wanted to add to her wardrobe, or more cash was desired, a burglary would be undertaken. The Los Angeles Police Department report later stated that what began as a "twisted adventure" fueled by celebrity worship "quickly mushroomed into an organized criminal enterprise." In the words of Neiers, Lee "was so manipulating, so conniving. Nick always did what she said. Rachel was in charge. She started it all."

A fascinating documentary glimpse of fame found, just not the fame the thieving teens sought. They are the robbers TMZ made famous, a group of kids who redefined narcissism in an already narcissistic town.
Through the documentary lens, the show is able to emphasise the 'fakeness' of the people involved whose vapidness disappears when they committed their crimes, while capturing their unpolished refinement. However, in the show's attempts to poke fun at the cult of celebrity, the show perhaps forgot to allow us a character to truly identify with.

Simon says The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist receives: