Review of Somewhere (2010) by Sean W — 11 Jun 2011

Sofia Coppola (daughter of the famed Francis Ford Coppola) wrote and directed Lost in Translation. I imagine how you felt about that film, that examined two people thrown into a foreign world, will also translate into how you feel about this one. Sofia seems content on setting a camera down, and just letting the images do the talking. There's not much plot to go around, but that's kind of the point.

Johnny Marco is a bit of a Hollywood star. People know him wherever he goes, and he lives in the lap of luxury. Room service is but a call away, and he doesn't even need to arrange parties for them to happen at his place. Sex with women is more like going through the motions. Pursuit just isn't a part of it anymore, as much as just walking up to a woman and saying, "Hi, I'm Johnny." When the film starts, we see that this hollow existence is beginning to take its toll. Due to some circumstances involving his ex-wife, more time is being spent with his 11 year old daughter, Cleo. What once was never much of a strong connection is rekindled, and Johnny finds himself reevaluating things.

Apparently, the movie was written with Stephen Dorff in mind. That's a good fit, as his own celebrity status mirrors his character's. Everyone knows him, but he's not exactly hounded like Tom Cruise or something. Elle Fanning plays his daughter (getting some fame with her turn in Super 8). The quiet moments between the two feel sincere, whether they be just hanging out at the pool or staying up late watching Italian TV. The whole movie is chock full of real moments, but unlike Lost in Translation, they never add up to much.

So we sit there and watch all these people interact with Johnny, mostly on a very impersonal level, and we see how it doesn't do much for him anymore. Even the hiring of twin strippers doing pole dances in his bedroom sends him to sleep (although drugs and alcohol played their part too). The movie coasts along and we see the growing relationship with his daughter and await the denouement and . . . it just isn't much.

To make a small spoiler, the film opens with Johnny driving his Ferrari around in circles on a test track. Lap after lap, until he finally gets out of his vehicle and sort of stands there, thinking, "Now what?" It's an obvious scene in lieu of a title card. Come the film's end, he drives that Ferrari out onto the open road. Out of LA and into nowhere. He then pulls over, steps out, and starts walking. End film. I'm all for symbolism, but this was a bit too much.

I understand Sofia wants to make her characters appear as if they're not being strung around by plot devices, and that's okay, but plot isn't the enemy either. You want me to invest in your characters, that's fine, but don't be afraid to push some boundaries. As it stands, Somewhere is an interesting character study on someone stuck in the Hollywood game, but it doesn't have much else to say and is forgotten by the time the end credits finish rolling.