Sofia Coppola's <i>Somewhere</i>: But Where?

With "Somewhere", her fourth feature film, writer/director Sofia Coppola seems to be a filmmaker who doesn't fancy rushing the story along.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

With Somewhere, her fourth feature film, writer/director Sofia Coppola seems to be a filmmaker who doesn't fancy rushing the story along. She gives her story and its characters their own time to develop, sometimes to lethargic effect -- the first part of this film is like watching paint dry. She is obviously a product of privilege -- the inclusion of models and other young trendies, who party in fancy hotels, is a regular reference point, which shows up here as it did in her 2003 film, the wildly over-hyped Lost In Translation.

At a private screening at downtown Manhattan's Crosby Street Hotel, actor Stephen Dorff introduced the film, urging the audience to "follow Johnny's... character." That would be Dorff's portrayal of youngish, pampered actor Johnny Marco, who lives at LA's den of laid-back luxury, the Chateau Marmont hotel, while promoting a new film. His life consists of chain smoking, pill popping, driving around town in his Ferrari, and ordering up twin hookers to perform pole dances in his hotel room.

The story picks up a bit when his 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) shows up. She adores her father and wants nothing more than to spend quality time and take care of him, which takes on additional significance when her mother suddenly and unexpectedly takes a break from her maternal duties. Johnny loves having his daughter around, but harbors obvious discomfort when confronted with full time parenting -- he's too busy trying to reconcile old affairs and falling asleep during oral sex.

Surprisingly, Fanning adds an element of stability and a much needed freshness to the film's slow-moving proceedings. Her love for her father, and her desire to be closer to him, carry Somewhere's emotional weight.

Coppola has an eye for aesthetics and is on her way to becoming an accomplished filmmaker (Somewhere won the Golden Lion Award for Best Picture at this year's Venice International Film Festival). There is a story here, if you can stay awake long enough to piece it together.

Somewhere opens on December 22.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot