Marie Antoinette is not the typical period piece; none of the actors or actresses even bothered with French or Austrian accents, the language in the film did not stay true to the time, and the film definitely has a more contemporary soundtrack than you might expect from a film set in 18th century France. However, the costumes in the film were excellent and won an Oscar at the Academy Awards in 2007.

Sofia Coppola, who also directed The Virgin Suicides, directed Marie Antoinette, which starred Kirsten Dunst as the Queen and Jason Schwartzman as the King.  Ms. Coppola’s focus on Marie Antoinette’s character and the situation in France definitely showed a light touch- little was shown throughout the film of those who were rebelling against the monarchy, nor was there much contrast shown throughout the movie between the haves and the have nots.  

I particularly enjoyed Kirsten Dunst’s role in Marie Antoinette- she was her usual cute self and more than effective at playing the pretty, clueless young Queen.  If you think of Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, you’ll have a fairly accurate picture of what Ms. Dunst was like in the film.

Marie Antoinette opens with the young Marie en route to France- she is seen as delighted by childlike actions and seems more like a young stoner chick than a bride to be for the future  King of France. The ladies in waiting she eventually meets are played by a somewhat interesting cast- I thought that the choice of Molly Shannon was actually a bit much as she didn’t appear all that different in Marie Antoinette than she does elsewhere. The ladies surrounding Marie Antoinette in the film also appear in different scenes with small dogs that appear almost ornamental instead of like pets.

The plot of the Marie Antoinette mostly centers around the young royal couple’s inability to copulate, which was a serious problem for  more than just the couple. In fact, the stress appeared to surround the young couple, however, and didn’t affect the young couple as much as maybe it should have.

Since the movie is about the Queen, there aren’t many scenes featuring the young King- either before or after he his coronation. Also, there isn’t much explanation as to why the couple has difficulty sealing the deal-Ms. Coppola didn’t delve too far into any possible reasons.

All in all, I found the movie enjoyable and pleasant, but it’s probably not something that will stick with me over time.