Review of Somewhere (2010) by Gavin S — 17 May 2013
Somewhere is an other one of Sophia Coppola's low key movie. At first, you're totally disoriented by the lack of any coherent story. It's a day to day account of the life of a middle star actor in Hollywood. There's no emphasis on anything. It feels empty, but you get settled in by the rhythm, the innocuous events that barely have the polish of interest. You don't understand where it's going until the very end, when you're there. It's unusual, to say the least, just like the camera shots.
The good. It's totally different from the rest. Once more you can see that Francis Ford Coppola passed his genius to his daughter. The deglamorizing of Hollywood stardom pulls you in reluctantly. It's refreshing.
The actors. Stephen Dorff probably didn't have to dig very deep to flesh out this character, but I'll give him credit to be able to render it so flawlessly without falling into the trap of non-acting. Elle Fanning really puts the sparkle that keeps us interested in the piece.
The bad. It's not for everyone, because almost nothing happens, and quite frankly, you have to let go to get in. Only then will you get over the first 20 minutes and settle into the mood.
The ugly. The stripper scenes. Some polish would have been nice. I know it's to give an awkward feel to his life, but the bad camera shots, the pole sounds, and lack of stripping talent was pushing it a bit.
The result. I highly recommend it to anyone unafraid of low key movies and everyone who likes even just a little Sophia's work.
This review of Somewhere (2010) was written by Gavin S on 17 May 2013.
Somewhere has generally received mixed reviews.
Was this review helpful?
