Somewhere movie review: modest but rewarding
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Writer/director Sofia Coppola’s slow moving slice of life drama Somewhere follows the day-to-day routine of a Hollywood star as he drifts between hotels, press junkets, floozy women and juggles the duties of being a father.
Stephen Dorff plays Johnny Marco, a big name Hollywood actor forever whisked between photo ops, publicists and gushing fans. The focus is very much squared on Marco; it’s no coincidence that high up on the film’s credits are performances by Party Girl #1, #2 and #3. Despite the story’s contemplative approach only two characters resemble anything close to three dimensional portraits, and still, with Coppola’s floaty style, they remain largely enigmas.
One is Marco and the other is Marco’s 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning), who embodies the story’s subtle manner of suggesting that greater things than drinking, drugs and sex exist in Hollywood.
Somewhere is thoughtful, modest and a little too self-knowingly understated. It reinforces Coppola’s oeuvre as one that, unlike her famous auteur-cum-winemaker father Francis Ford, shows no attempt to bridge the gap between “art” and multiplex. It’s almost impossible to imagine her making a movie as broadly appealing as The Godfather (1972) or as bombastic and unwieldy as Apocalypse Now (1979).
Sofia’s ultimate work is still the sublime Lost in Translation (2003). Her style emphasizes long shots, single frames, unassuming performances and stories that drift onto the frame and off, never cleanly divided into three act storytelling. When she’s on, she’s on, but the organic stylings of a film like Somewhere also feel paradoxically contrived and self-aware.
Marco is introduced by nothing as obvious as a stroll down the red carpet or a gaggle of paparazzi; we meet him as he is lazily watching dial-a-room pole dancers in bed and come to understand his celebrity over time. Like Dorff’s prosaic but endearing performance the film becomes progressively more interesting as it grows fully formed and cohesive. Somewhere is a minor work, but it’s interesting and nuanced.
Somewhere’s Australian theatrical release date: December 26, 2010.
see it
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If Somewhere is half as good as “Translation” I’m in. Coppola’s style is the antithesis of what is trendy in Hollywood these days – the frenetic editing, jumping vomit-inducing handheld cams, rapid-fire dialogue, boom-crash-wallop audio – and for that alone she earns massive brownie points. I like her slow burn approach and the soundtrack in her films.
Good points gazman. Coppola is definitely the antithesis of “trendy” and…she knows it. As I said I don’t think she has any intention to bridge the gap between “art” and multiplex…
Somewhere is modest but definitely unrewarding – it should have been called “Nowhere” instead. The plot is thin, the dialogue is limited and if not for Elle Fanning and the Italian scenes this film would offer absolutely nothing to the audience. The Italian hotel offered architecture at least. Johnny Marco is a character who is unsympathetic and pathetic and is quite unbelievable as a charismatic movie star. This is not an artistic movie but one which is disappointing in its dullness and self obsession about movie making. One of the most annoying films I have sat through because of its scenes which offered no cohesion and no connection to any theme or idea. There will be those who confuse this with art but most people will not have any confusion. It is not a film for the multiplex or anywhere else because the film looks like pretension on steroids.
Saw it last night. Not sure. The fact I’m still pondering it now 15 hours later says something I suppose; after all, most films you see these days you forget the moment you get into your car. If you are accustomed to American wang-bang-wallop movies, give this a miss. No noise, no jumpy camera work, rapid zooms, close-ups and swearing. No histrionics, car chases, the ‘money’ scene. Coppola dares to go out on a limb. Some of the static shots linger so long it made me uneasy. It’s as if she is making a big point (not necessarily to do with the film, but more aimed at the industry). I can see why many would see this as a self-indulgent wank, but I liked it all the same. The slow pace, the minimalist approach suited the subject matter. Coppola should be applauded for not pandering to the lowest common denominator.
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