Somewhere (2010)

Featured Audience Ratings

• paul s

  
  I suppose that somewhere (or somewhen) there exists works of art that are the sole creation and vision of the person writing and directing... but so often one person's vision becomes so myopic that the end result is tedious, boring and or blatantly obvious in it's… More
  I suppose that somewhere (or somewhen) there exists works of art that are the sole creation and vision of the person writing and directing... but so often one person's vision becomes so myopic that the end result is tedious, boring and or blatantly obvious in it's storytelling. "Somewhere" suffers from a non-original idea that at 90 minutes, still needs some serious editing - proving my original premise: it's hard to reign in a film when the same person writes and directs. Often I felt compelled to hit "fast forward" as dreamy camera scenes panned either in or out - losing a footrace to a glacier. I get it - it's all part of the ennui - ok, the beginning scene made that abundantly clear, so Sophia had no need to continue to hit us over the head with it. I'm thinking that the truth of the matter is that Sophia the writer, didn't have enough of a story for a full fledged major film, so asked Sophia the director to stretch it out a bit. In an odd bit of irony, there are some really bad editing cuts and abrupt fade to black moments - making it abundantly clear that much of the film was being scripted on the fly - little patchwork skits that were badly stitched together... like snapshots of a life Sophia felt compelled to give the rabble a glimpse into. There's not much novel or even interesting in this expose on stardom. I felt I got more inside scoop watching Entourage for half a season. So much of what was presented were scenes that did nothing more than set the continuing mood, and really had not much to say or add to the narrative. This echoes "Lost In Translation" in the former, but not in the latter - and that's a huge difference. You can follow a method, but you have to have flow and purpose otherwise your effort seems derivative and unprofessionally slapped together. As an art school short subject, this would probably get a passing grade, but as a feature film from a director with some serious cred, you have to see more, otherwise the effort comes off as half hearted at best. Gee, I guess I'm saying that this film really disappointed me - think I'll take my Ferarri and go in circles for an hour or so - that should make me feel better. As Louise Goffen once so aptly put it in her debut album "sometimes a circle seems like a direction".

• Spencer S

  
  Sofia Coppola has this impressive depth regarding lifelessness and the emptiness in her films. Much of this film does nothing revolutionary or new, but is still a beatific example of mirroring fame and the consequences. That said, it didn't always work. A lot of this feels like… More
  Sofia Coppola has this impressive depth regarding lifelessness and the emptiness in her films. Much of this film does nothing revolutionary or new, but is still a beatific example of mirroring fame and the consequences. That said, it didn't always work. A lot of this feels like a badly drawn copy of Lost in Translation. Both deals with the nothingness of fame, a girl changes everything they previously thought, and both have the airiness of a home movie. Every scene between our main character and his daughter (Fanning) feel unrehearsed, sincere, and maybe even extemporaneous. Dotting the same scenes of solitude and bright flash bulbs that Translation honed so perfectly, was a lot of cameos. This includes a strangely long set of scenes with Chris Pontius, I think playing himself, and a quick shot of Benicio Del Toro. It also features Michelle Monaghan, Eliza Coupe from Happy Endings, and Ellie Kemper of The Office. Everyone kind of feels misplaced and awkward in accordance with this film, and besides the two stars everyone else feels queer. Stephen Dorff, who is apparently famous, gives a great performance. There isn't very much of a plot, and what does happen has no motivation at all. Elle Fanning, who again portrays the daughter, just kind of shows up in the last hour of the film, and what she gives isn't all too spectacular. The scenes where Dorff is trying to reconnect with Fanning by giving her gifts, playing with her in the pool, and letting her follow him around to see what fame really buys you was pleasant enough. I'm not sure whether this is supposed to show us a contrast between his life with her opposed to alone, or if this film is about them reconnecting and never losing what you hold most dear. There wasn't much to discern from this, like Translation, but at least that ended on a note of hope and mystery. This one is abrupt and that last scene, which is supposed to be full of existential meaning, feels hollow and contrived. It's a beautiful film, as long as there aren't people around to ruin it.

• paul o

  
  When watching a film this slow, I kinda want to have some sort of story rather than watch repetitive activities for 1h30min. I loved Lost in Translation but thats because there was actually some substance!

• Chris W

  
  Johhny Marco is a Hollywood movie star and a bit of a hedonistic rogue. Though he has fame, money, and does socialize from time to time, he lives a mostly solitary and isolated existence at the Chateau Marmont Hotel. The film follows him as he spends his time wasting away in suite… More
  Johhny Marco is a Hollywood movie star and a bit of a hedonistic rogue. Though he has fame, money, and does socialize from time to time, he lives a mostly solitary and isolated existence at the Chateau Marmont Hotel. The film follows him as he spends his time wasting away in suite drinking, popping pills, getting visits from women, and doing typical Hollywood stuff like photoshoots, getting special effects makeup applied, press conferences, and going to an awards ceremony. He gets some pleasure out of it, sure (or we'd like to think), but he's really emptionally gone, burnt out, and most of all, bored. Johnny's life begins to slowly change when he gets an unexpected visit from his daughter Cleo. They start to spend some more time together and these experiences make Johnny re-examine his life, the state it's in, and his purpose. The film has no real plot, and is instead a character study/mood piece examing Johhny's life, and a side of celebrity that makes them seem as bored and ordinary as the rest of us. Yeah, that's right, this is a study in boredom, and, it's actually better than I was thinking it might be given the mixed reviews. The themes being dealt with are that of ennui (boredom), family, and the hollowness of celebrity. Rather than be a bitter or spieful satire like say Sunset Boulevard, this is a more subdued, and minimilasit look at celebrity life. Sure, the film is a tad melancholy, but it's not really depressing, and it wisely avoids being overly sentimental with how it depicts Johnny's relationship with his daughter. Oh sure, there's some staples of "bonding" moments, but the film doesn't feel hammy or cliched, and instead kinda seemed a little genuine. Coppola said the film has somewhat inspired by her own life, but that the film was not autobiographical. It's only 98 minutes long, but as you may have heard, the pace is kinda slow. It's never felt tedious or boring though (to me at least). I have ADHD and I felt rahter engaged . WHat I liked about the movie, but what also made it hard for me to watch, was that I could relate to what I was seeing because my own life is a lot like Johnny's in that I spend a lot fo time alone in my apartment detached from the world and not really doing a whole lot. Just because I got through the film though, doesn't mean everyoen will. It's not for everyone. If you like seeing a film that is relaxed and doesn't feel the need to rush through things, then you might like this. Though he is distant, the film does do a decent job of establishing that Marco is a kinda likeable. The casting is pretty good, and it all feels very naturalistic and right. Dorff is pretty good as Johnny Marco and conveys the feelings of emptiness and boredom pretty well. He hasn't always been there for his kid, but he does care for her and tries to be a good guy. Elle Fanning is probably the one to watch here though. I like her sister, but this is her coming into her own and she does a good job playing a "showbiz" kid. She has perhaps a bit more worldly wisdom than most 11 years olds, but she still comes off as being a kid who has a lot yet to learn. He's not in it for a whole lot, but Chris Pontius also does a good job as Johnny's old friend Sammy, and it's nice seeing Pontius branch out and do something different than the Jackass type stuff that made him famous. I'd like to see him in more work, especially stuff like this. All in all, this is a decent movie. I'd give it *ahem* somewhere between a B and a B+. It's one you have to be in the mood for, but if a leisurely pced slice of life story about bordeom sounds like what you want to see ,then go for it. It is admittedly a bit pretentious, but I've seen far more boring, meandering, and pretentious stuff than this, and those things made this seem breakneck, so there.

• Mark H

  
  Johnny Marco is recuperating from a minor injury at the Château Marmont, legendary hotel in West Hollywood, when his 11-year-old daughter shows up there one day for an unscheduled visit. Honest performances are what make Somewhere so captivating. 11 year old actress Elle fanning… More
  Johnny Marco is recuperating from a minor injury at the Château Marmont, legendary hotel in West Hollywood, when his 11-year-old daughter shows up there one day for an unscheduled visit. Honest performances are what make Somewhere so captivating. 11 year old actress Elle fanning conveys a maturity beyond her years in the role of his child. Given her sister's achievements, is it too early to start labeling her family's success, an acting dynasty? Stephen Dorff gives possibly his most artistically demanding portrayal since playing Stuart Sutcliffe in Iain Softley's Backbeat. He has a slightly bemused, world weary response to the business around him. It's a deceptively passive depiction of few words, but he brings a sincerity to it that I found most compelling. Even though you think you know where she's going with the story, it tells its tale with subtlety. Perhaps subtle is an understatement. Sofia's narrative definitely takes some patience, At one point our protagonist is fitted for a special effects mold of his face. There is a long uninterrupted shot of him simply breathing through 2 nostril holes within a gooey, plaster mold, covering his head. The scene lingers for over a minute and a half. At first it's boring but then the purpose slowly works its way into the viewer's subconscious. This is not just an existence of vacations, parties and sex (although those play a big part too) but of day to day monotony that highlights his apparent dissatisfaction. This is yet another reevaluation of a life, but it seems to creatively tell the tale with a style that is fresh and unparalleled. If you can bask in the drama's indulgent pace, you'll walk away from this fable appreciating it. I did.

• Tim S

  
  It's a shame that Sofia Coppola didn't choose a different lead actor for the role of Johnny. No offense, but I just think there are more compelling people to watch sit around with more depth than Dorff. I love the fly on the wall approach and Sofia Coppola does an amazing… More
  It's a shame that Sofia Coppola didn't choose a different lead actor for the role of Johnny. No offense, but I just think there are more compelling people to watch sit around with more depth than Dorff. I love the fly on the wall approach and Sofia Coppola does an amazing job of framing this entire world. It's a good thing you can watch these images for hours considering that it feels a lot longer when you are watching it. This is another example of how naturally gifted Elle Fanning is, and after watching her in this and Super 8 am sure I will be watching her for a very long time.

• Kase V

  
  Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' is a very moody film that will easily alienate some audiences with it's quiet demeanor and nonexistent charisma. It is a type of film that demands patience from the audience, because Coppola uses skillful cinematography and tone to tell… More
  Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' is a very moody film that will easily alienate some audiences with it's quiet demeanor and nonexistent charisma. It is a type of film that demands patience from the audience, because Coppola uses skillful cinematography and tone to tell her story instead of dialogue. Dorff gives an especially hypnotic performance, and Fanning does well with what she is given as well. Coppola shows lack of style and substance, but uses mood to craft a very respectable film. The patient should be greatly rewarded.

• Lewis C

  
  A slice-of-life drama/mood piece about a successful, womanizing actor who realizes how empty his life truly is during a few days spent with his pre-teen daughter. Don't expect the conflicts and resolutions of a traditional narrative, this is very much a character study. Chances… More
  A slice-of-life drama/mood piece about a successful, womanizing actor who realizes how empty his life truly is during a few days spent with his pre-teen daughter. Don't expect the conflicts and resolutions of a traditional narrative, this is very much a character study. Chances are if you liked Sofia Coppola's other work, you'll like this, too (I certainly did). Coppola described it as a poem, and that description fits well. Standout star Elle Fanning has more talent at a young age than even her famous sister.

• Jake .

  
  This was exactly the film that I needed it to be when I watched it. I know that sentence is a mess, but this film just struck me in all the right ways at the right time. It's just so Zen and chill. I wish I could remember the ending. I know that I loved it, but I do not remember… More
  This was exactly the film that I needed it to be when I watched it. I know that sentence is a mess, but this film just struck me in all the right ways at the right time. It's just so Zen and chill. I wish I could remember the ending. I know that I loved it, but I do not remember what happened.. That's kind of how the entire film flows. It watches like a slice of these people's lives, like there is no divide between when the camera runs and when it is absent. The acting is subtle and never feels like acting. There's a narrative, but we never feel like we're being directed to some specefic point. It all just flows and does it thing. You almost feel like Coppola was wrote the film as it was shot, or even if there was a script at all. We see every encounter from start to finish. The film does stop with a scene's convenient climax, we get to see the aftermath and it's among the film's most striking elements. I loved the film, it's not for everyone I realize, but I found it to be incredibly poignant.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius, Erin Wasson, Alexandra Williams, Nathalie Fay, Kristina Shannon, Karissa Shannon, Laura Chiatti, Lala Sloatman, Amanda Anka, Michelle Monaghan Director: Sofia Coppola Summary: Set amid the hallowed grounds of Hollywood's… More
  Cast: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius, Erin Wasson, Alexandra Williams, Nathalie Fay, Kristina Shannon, Karissa Shannon, Laura Chiatti, Lala Sloatman, Amanda Anka, Michelle Monaghan Director: Sofia Coppola Summary: Set amid the hallowed grounds of Hollywood's legendary Chateau Marmont, this atmospheric dramedy centers on hard-living actor Johnny (Stephen Dorff), whose life is thrown for a loop when his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), pays him a surprise visit. My Thoughts: "It's a well done character study film. Johnny Marco is a lost soul. He's surrounded by people, but yet still feels very much alone. When his daughter Cleo visits that's when you see life in his eye's. He's not just some shell of life. Being with her makes him realize how empty his life is and that he needs to make changes. Elle Fanning is so good in this movie. I think she fits very well into the Indie flicks. She's a natural. Stephen Dorff really played the part well. It's been awhile since I've seen him in a movie. He was great. This isn't a film for everyone. It's quite slow paced and there isn't a lot of dialogue. But you feel very much like a fly on the wall observing this mans life. You feel the quiet loneliness that surrounds him. The film was enjoyable for me but may be a complete bore for those who do not like these types of films."

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"I'm fucking nothing. I'm not even a person."</i> A hard-living Hollywood actor re-examines his life after his 11-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"I'm fucking nothing. I'm not even a person."</i> A hard-living Hollywood actor re-examines his life after his 11-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Somewhere is a film that can be taken on several levels and depending on the willingness of the viewer to tolerate endless moments of stationary stillness it can either be a numbing bore, or it can be an intuitive examination of a life of the rich and famous and vacuous creatures the film industry supports. Given writer/director Sofia Coppola's personal background, it appears to this viewer that she has recreated that second stance. The setting is the decadent Château Marmont, still a hideaway for stars and spot for manipulative interviews of stars by the nosey media, above Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is a world famous movie star whose life is controlled by his PR manager Madge when he is not indulging in wild drunken parties with hired girls (he breaks his wrist early on, leaving him in a small arm cast). He admits to a new actor wannabe that he never trained for acting, that he just was discovered and became successful, leaving education and thinking behind, or drowned in alcohol. His private persona is pathetic, yet there is something about Johnny that attracts a need for companionship. Into this sorry state arrives his 11 year old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) who brings a sense of sparkle into Johnny's life: Cleo studies ballet and ice skating and is a mature, genuinely loving and talented daughter. Johnny's ex-wife Layla (Lala Sloatman) informs Johnny (and Cleo) that she is leaving for an indeterminate period of time and Johnny must take Cleo to her summer camp. But Johnny has public appearances and interviews to promote his latest feature film, requiring him to visit Milan, Italy, and Johnny simply takes Cleo along with him. Cleo adjusts well, tolerating the extended periods of ennui and the watching of glamorous women seducing her father, and finds that something in her father that Johnny has lost - a reason to be alive. There is no real beginning to this story and no end - it is just glimpses into a life wasted by self indulgence that has created a man with no purpose, observed by a talented daughter who must face the fact that she likely will be always baggage in the lives of both her parents, at times wanted and at times just as casually discarded. Stephen Dorff inhabits this empty movie personality's life with surprising accuracy and Elle Fanning continues to prove that she is a growingly capable talent. Sofia Coppola's direction could use some tightening: some frozen scenes or views linger far too long on the screen, seemingly wasting time until the next idea arises. But that can also be a description of the life that has evaded Johnny Marco: there is so little to his real persona that the gaps must be filled with film or partially clothed women or alcohol. And if the viewer takes that approach to this film then there is a viable portrait here.

• Everett J

  
  This movie is a bore and a real waste of time. It's one of those movies where there are long silent shots of peoples faces, where I guess their emotion is suppose to come through. Instead it made me dose off a couple times and genuinely made me not care for anyone in the movie.… More
  This movie is a bore and a real waste of time. It's one of those movies where there are long silent shots of peoples faces, where I guess their emotion is suppose to come through. Instead it made me dose off a couple times and genuinely made me not care for anyone in the movie. Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning are both good(not great), but the movie moves so slow that you just can't wait for it to end. This 98 minutes felt like 3 hours. I've seen a few movies like this where it works and is entertaining, but here it's just dull. Skip "Somewhere" and instead go somewhere worth while.

• Jennifer X

  
  Ah, "Somewhere" - the neglected stepchild of 2010. Upon winning a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Sofia Coppola's ("Lost in Translation") latest film amassed Oscar buzz for the entirety of three seconds, then was promptly set off to the side,… More
  Ah, "Somewhere" - the neglected stepchild of 2010. Upon winning a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Sofia Coppola's ("Lost in Translation") latest film amassed Oscar buzz for the entirety of three seconds, then was promptly set off to the side, forgotten. Perhaps it's because nothing ever seems to <em>happen</em> in the film. One of "Somewhere" 's opening scenes presents three minutes of the waiflike Cleo (Elle Fanning, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") ice-skating in a blue dress - nothing else: no cuts away, no stuntwork. But there's a strangely mesmerizing, almost hypnotic quality following Cleo's every move, every bent knee. Her father, the jaded actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff, "Public Enemies"), looks up from his phone and it hits him what a flower his adolescent daughter has blossomed into - a ball of loneliness and pride wrapped into one. Where "Somewhere" succeeds exquisitely is in communicating the language of temporality. Much of the film takes place inside the luscious, opulent Chateau Marmont Hotel - a languorous playground of a celebrity haunt where sin goes to bed with melancholy. In French, <em>chateau</em> means castle, and the term evokes a contained, Old World hollowness in which the kings have all died or become irrelevant. Indeed, everything is synthetic here at the palace of the lost souls, even people. Protagonist Johnny Marco, a Hollywood actor trapped in the perpetual state of waiting, falls asleep in the midst of watching a soporific striptease starring two bombshell blonde-headed pole dancers. He falls asleep again later that night, this time whilst administering oral sex to a different leggy young thing. When his daughter, tall, willowy 12-year-old Cleo, decides to stay with him, Johnny needs to reprioritize. Cleo, more fairy sprite than an actual girl, brings to Johnny's isolated universe a mystical world of underwater tea parties and room-service pancakes. Critics may deride Coppola's range. Why can't she move on from her comfortable cocoon of navel gazing to something a smidge more dynamic? We want action, excitement, they cry. But "Somewhere" 's static, almost therapeutic ambience works for it, and whatever is left unsaid unlocks a chasm of introspection. It's minimalism at its finest: The empty spaces are literally empty spaces. There are scenes seething with past memories of loneliness, repression, wanderlust - scenes that recall many a film in the Coppola discourse: Lux Lisbon's lace collared dress blowing in the wind, Charlotte's light pink briefs cradling her heart-shaped derriere, Marie Antoinette's toppling pile of shoes, bouffants and bonbons. "Somewhere" might only strike a chord among a select few, but if you're patient, it can open petal by petal (to slightly rephrase ee cummings) an entire world for you. A silky tone poem saturated with an ennui as thick as the foggy, smoggy hills of Los Angeles, "Somewhere" bubbles with the most stirring ontological questions: What is real anymore? With all of the modern age's reflective surfaces and transient promises of fame, how do we find the thing that is genuinely authentic? We can go from womb to tomb without ever touching the essential qualities of existence - but somehow, "Somewhere" can bring us closer to them.

• Conner R

  
  Stephen Dorff does not work as a muse for Sophia Coppola. Sure, Scarlett Johansson and Kirsten Dunst work with this style of directing and storytelling. However, when you have a semi-talented male getting the same treatment it's just ridiculous and uninteresting. This certainly… More
  Stephen Dorff does not work as a muse for Sophia Coppola. Sure, Scarlett Johansson and Kirsten Dunst work with this style of directing and storytelling. However, when you have a semi-talented male getting the same treatment it's just ridiculous and uninteresting. This certainly has its moments though and the imagery beautiful. One of my favorite parts was the synchronized twin pole dancers who came off as less than enthusiastic. To me, that summed up what the movie was trying to say. What I didn't really like was the random shots and "indie film" factor that it had going on. What really made me decide how pointless most of the execution was is during the finale. Do we really need to get the most heavy handed message about being a celebrity? The answer is no. The sad part is, I know that Sophia Coppola knows what she's doing and is one of the most talented film-makers out there. This is just not an example of her style and technique.

• Steven C

  
  Every one of Sofia Coppola's films have been an deeply emotional experience for me. Watching "Somewhere" was on a whole other level though, it bordered on a religious experience. This film was so tender and emotional, so transporting and beautiful, so honest and clear… More
  Every one of Sofia Coppola's films have been an deeply emotional experience for me. Watching "Somewhere" was on a whole other level though, it bordered on a religious experience. This film was so tender and emotional, so transporting and beautiful, so honest and clear that it's almost a miracle. This film is extremely personal with images that will haunt you. Sofia gently takes you deep inside these characters with cinematography and composition that tell the story over dialogue and plot. Everything seemed so natural and transcendent. Those two adjectives perfectly describe the performances by Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning, as well. This film will certainly not be for everyone, but for those who are willing to let "Somewhere" cast it's effecting spell over them, you are in for a powerful and dizzying experience. "Somewhere" is officially my favorite film of 2010.

• moon r

  
  the first scene sets the tone for most of the laidback minimalist piece as name celeb johnny marco races name ferrari in circles around a nowhere track alone. it also screams "art film" at you. the glamorous life, guess what? yeah, it's nowhere. surprize. oh the… More
  the first scene sets the tone for most of the laidback minimalist piece as name celeb johnny marco races name ferrari in circles around a nowhere track alone. it also screams "art film" at you. the glamorous life, guess what? yeah, it's nowhere. surprize. oh the humanity! "the great gatsby" w/o a story, still, the effort was made. the best part of the film though was trying to guess how much of it referred to the director's famous celeb pop. dorff, interestingly cast as (gulp!) a sensitive guy, gives good effort.

• Bob O

  
  *** In 2010 we've been put through the wringer: mind-bending dream puzzles, hikers who saw their arms off, ozark's girls who saw dead peoples arms off, and ballerinas that turn into psychotic swans. Awards season has been a bit of an endurance test to say the least. But… More
  *** In 2010 we've been put through the wringer: mind-bending dream puzzles, hikers who saw their arms off, ozark's girls who saw dead peoples arms off, and ballerinas that turn into psychotic swans. Awards season has been a bit of an endurance test to say the least. But writer/director Sofia Coppola is here to remind us that fall contenders needn't be meaty and rigorous affairs. There is a place for the gentle in the realm of respected cinema. There is a place for little stories about fathers and daughters - a place for Ms. Coppola, and her film, Somewhere. But Somewhere isn't for everyone. It moves at an introspective dawdle - savoring moments with brave intensity - as it examines the everyday life of rutted movie star Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff). And I mean everyday: like driving his Ferrari in circles, enduring languid makeup tests, and sitting around blase - a bit unfazed by the world around him. Marco's malaise is a bit reminiscent of actor Bob Harris' in Coppola's own Lost In Translation and his day-to-day is something like Entourage if you take away all the gloss, over-dramatics, and obnoxious self-satisfaction. At any rate, with his ex-wife away, down-in-the-dumps Marco gets shackled with his sweet-as-can-be prepubescent daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning). A few days together and Marco starts to reassess his priorities - his daughter is a symbol of the normality and fervid essence that so eludes him in his rolling-stone/hedonistic lifestyle. The screenplay is written straight from Coppola's own roots. She grew up a Hollywood princess after all, the daughter of Francis Ford. But Coppola's insider Hollywood scoop is neither straight indictment nor glorification. With camera trained on the mundane, Tinseltown becomes a moody limbo where the extravagant is bereft and the ordinary transcendent: Guitar Hero, room service, sunbathing. Not that Marco and Cleo don't get star treatment, only it's perfunctory. So what's Coppola's angle? Her films often concern lonely and confused individuals in an equally confusing world. But when stripped down, Somewhere is a sweet and simple sonnet about a daughter who would love her father if he had a million dollars or five, drove a Ferrari or a Taurus, was a star or a nobody. And only after he understands that can he really be free. And typically, Coppola's sentiment is delicately stroked in, stone dry of sap. (A welcome change of pace). Maybe if she avoided the indulgences (five minutes of innocuous pole-dancing, anyone?) and if her lead wasn't buckling under the weight of his role, then her spotlight-as-microscope, A-lister-ode could've been more than just good. But it does get bonus points; no limbs were grotesquely sawed off.

• Alireza M

  
  European style movie with few dialogues.Almost nothing happens and the movie just repeat itself,which is ok and we can ignore that because instead it has a heart and loneliness of the main character is believable.But ending was very unrealistic and symbolic and i think an alternative… More
  European style movie with few dialogues.Almost nothing happens and the movie just repeat itself,which is ok and we can ignore that because instead it has a heart and loneliness of the main character is believable.But ending was very unrealistic and symbolic and i think an alternative ending could be better.

• Aaron N

  
  Reporter: Who is Cleo, the name on your cast? Johnny: That's my daughter. Recommending a film like writer/director Sofia Coppola's latest feature, Somewhere, comes with a certain kind of note: as a person well traveled in various types of theatrical features, I found a… More
  Reporter: Who is Cleo, the name on your cast? Johnny: That's my daughter. Recommending a film like writer/director Sofia Coppola's latest feature, Somewhere, comes with a certain kind of note: as a person well traveled in various types of theatrical features, I found a lot to appreciate in this film; however, the way that it has been assembled and what it has to offer will most likely appeal more to those with a slant towards art house cinema and more obscure features. I am not a fan of so specifically dropping a film into a certain category and only recommending certain people to see it, but that being said, if you know about this film already or are familiar with Coppola's previous work, you probably know what you would be getting yourself into. Somewhere stars Stephen Dorff as Johnny Marco, a rising Hollywood actor who seems to be spending much of his time of late in a state of boredom and depression. Johnny is currently living at the famous Hollywood hotel, the Chateau Marmont, where he indulges in sex, drugs, and alcohol frequently. When he tires of those activities, he spends a lot of time driving around the city in his Ferrari (the film actually opens with him driving in endless laps around a track). There are also the occasional requirements of his celebrity life, which includes press junkets and photoshoots. While popular with an assorted number of women who take notice of him, Johnny also has plenty who dislike him for various reasons. This would include Johnny's ex-wife or girlfriend, Layla, who decides to leave their 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), in his care, while she splits town. While Johnny certainly cares for Cleo deeply, her presence merely allows him to continue to sink into a state of reflection on the choices he has made thus far in his life. This film shares a lot with Coppola's 2003 film Lost in Translation. Both features focus on an individual seemingly closed off from much of the rest of reality. Despite going through the motions of what has been required of them, they seem to be in a darker place within their mind, but fortunately have some sort of shining light that may reignite some emotions. In Lost in Translation, Bill Murray (who really was excellent in that role) was given some excitement by Scarlett Johansson's character. In this film, Johnny has his daughter, Cleo. Both of these actors, Dorff and Fanning, manage to show a real sense of characters that have something to gain from each other. Cleo is the daughter of a movie star and seemingly familiar with the problems that her father has, which is delivered in some of the looks she has when pointing out a careless moment or two, such as a random women joining in on breakfast one morning. Still, while she must deal with a mother who bails and a father who probably has not been very reliable during her lifetime, she also knows that nothing is more precious to him. It is also apparent that her cheery disposition and desire to be creative will not be hindered by the setbacks of the life she was born into. I saw all of these aspects created by Fanning's work as a young actress, and was glad to have enjoyed them so. Dorff's work is very good as well. It is a very quiet and subdued role, which required him to act numb to the world throughout, as he addresses all of the different people in his life, but it is pulled off nicely. Undoubtedly benefiting the film as well, is the chemistry between Dorff and Fanning. It is not just that they look like father and daughter, but that they act like it effortlessly, and that is accomplished here. Along with the performances, the direction by Coppola has the film delivered with a very subtle touch. Shot more like a fly-on-the-wall look at the life of this actor, one could easily have mistaken this film for a 70s European arthouse film, if it were not for the obvious presence of the modern Hollywood lifestyle. There are many long takes used throughout and many sequences that follow through on seemingly mundane or uninteresting affairs, such as Johnny's driving or his staring off into the distance. It is all evocative of the tone of the film. Yes, it is paced deliberately slow and defies the standard notions of plot and resolution, but the film virtually delivers on all it sets out to do. I can bring up other elements as well. The film is quite well shot. Set at the actual Chateau Marmont, which is known for becoming a home away from home for many celebrities, Johnny's living situation almost becomes another character in the film, as we follow all his activities on the floor he resides. A portion of the film also follows Johnny and Cleo to Italy, where Johnny must attend an award ceremony. Given that this portion of the film is set almost entirely indoors, it is a credit to cinematographer Harris Savides that the film still manages to look just right. There is also a very subtle score by the French, alternative rock band Phoenix, which pleased me just fine. While I cannot expect to know, nor do I speculate, how autobiographical some of the elements of this film are, given Sofia Coppola's own relationship to her father, writer/director/producer Francis Ford Coppola, I at least believe that she was able to reflect on the past and create a seemingly influenced portrait of it. As a result, you have a film that has the semblance of something very personal and also manages to exhibit some well nuanced performances. Like Johnny, one may not get much pleasure, but they can certainly create a lot of thought based on what is delivered here. Johnny: Cleo...sorry I wasn't around more.

• Michael S

  
  Both Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning are both really impressive here. The film however; not as impressive.

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