Review: Somewhere

I tend to smirk when I hear about producers who've said a movie won't play well in Middle America. But if there is a movie to which such a ridiculous generalized statement might apply, it's Somewhere. I say this as a fan of director Sofia Coppola's early work (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation).

Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is a fortysomething action movie star who dwells in the famed Chateau Marmont hotel in LA. He doesn't instigate much in the film -- things just happen around him or to him. A friend throws parties in Johnny's suite, female hotel-dwellers flirt ceaselessly with him, and work-wise, his assistant/agent arranges everything for him: he just shows up.

For a film directed by a female, it's strange how dominant the male gaze is in Somewhere. Johnny sleepily watches pole-dancing strippers from his bed, women flash their breasts at him at various points of the film, and the only long-term relationship Mr. Marco has with any female is with his tween daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning). It's too bad Cleo doesn't stick around for the whole film -- the scenes between her and her father are the liveliest this movie gets.

Coppola's film plods along as we glimpse Marco's world with his daughter and without. Cleo is a steadying influence during her stay with him. She cooks for her dad, and even travels to Milan with him so he can attend a crazy Italian awards show where giant golden cat decorations dominate the stage. The Milan breakfast scene between Cleo, her dad and his paramour from the night before seems the clearest moment of Somewhere. As the woman tries to chat, Fanning shows Cleo's disappointment in her father with slight facial expressions.

There is so much about this film that is foggy. Does Cleo's mom drop her off with Johnny so she can go to rehab? That's what I inferred. Johnny's parents are referenced twice in the film, but we never see them, or hear what he thinks about them. The main thing I couldn't grasp in this film is why the viewer should care about Johnny's plight (or lack thereof). I found it difficult to sympathize with the rich male movie star who receives anonymous harassing text messages and is paranoid about paparazzi. Dorff seems to do the best he can with the role; Johnny Marco is just not that fascinating a character.

There are several times when the camera dwells too long on a scene, and this drawn-out pacing certainly doesn't help the momentum of Somewhere (not that there's much of that). This technique also gives it an insular feel. A way to make the film more exciting? Try to catch all the scenes that appear in the trailer (if only the movie was as wonderful as the trailer). This may only work if you watch it at home, however. If you watch this disappointing movie in the theater, any excitement may be up to you.