I think that in order to understand this movie you'd have to read the Vanity Fair article about the original ''Bling Ring'' or ''Burglar Bunch''and maybe even search some information about its members,before seeing it(or even after,like I did). At least that's how I realized that Emma Watson's cringeworthy American accent was in fact a really good impersonation of the real-life character she played, Alexis Neiers. And that the plot is in fact a pretty accurate depiction of the real events,as told by Nick Prugo in the same interview. I also realized that the characters were intended to be portrayed like that:shallow,irresponsible,self-centered,madly obsessed with celebrities because those teenagers were exactly like that in real life: only preoccupied with appearance,social life and fame.