Nothing says Summer like a good ole Civil War drama. At least that’s what the folks at Focus Features figured when they set the release date for Sofia Coppola’s new venture, The Beguiled. In celebration of this month’s release, let us take a look at Coppola’s work behind the camera in this edition of The Breakdown!

Critical/Public Response

Sofia Coppola throws up a respectable response score but that mostly has to do with the massive amount of positive praise that Lost in Translation received, also earning Coppola an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to replicate her success since. Contributing factors to this are Marie Antoinette taking the biggest beating from Critics and The Bling Ring which cannot find the support it needs from the audience. In my personal opinion, what keeps her last few movies from being great is the lack of connection the audience feels for her characters. We see them wandering through their daily lives but you never truly care about the outcome of the people you are following from scene to scene. That is what keeps Coppola’s films from being great.

Response Score: 70.2

Financial Impact

Once again, the success of Lost in Translation is the only thing that is keeping Coppola afloat. Every movie that Sofia has directed, outside of the aforementioned, has cost more than the film made. Marie Antoinette shows to be the biggest financial burden, costing $40 million and only bring in $16 million. Thank goodness that Lost in Translation was so profitable.

Financial Impact: $88,315,911

The Defining Style

One thing that Sofia Coppola absolutely loves to do is use star power. I am not talking about Kirsten Dunst, even though Coppola seems to be the only person that can pull a decent performance out of her. I am talking about a literal star. Coppola loves utilizing the sun’s natural lighting as much as possible. No artificial lights for her. You can see that she strategically places lamps when needed but the more she can use natural light, the better. You can see great examples of this in Marie Antoinette. What else does Sofia love to do? She is always willing to drop some modern music into her period piece. Regardless of the plot, be prepared to hear New Order, The Strokes, and Phoenix, scattered throughout Coppola’s endeavors. Now we will just have to wait and see if she puts similar touches on The Beguiled.

That’s A Wrap

Coppola’s flicks look great and I appreciate the juxtaposition of her soundtrack choices. She also has a knack for pulling solid performances from the actors that she is working with. That being said, her films can drag through their runtime and, majority of the time; I have a hard time relating to her characters. As stated above, I don’t normally care about the outcome of her stories and because of that, I normally find her films pleasant but not great.

Response Score: 70.2

Financial Impact: $88,315,911

Years Active: 1999-Present (18 Years)