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If you're a fan of Sofia Coppola's slow, quiet, very visual storytelling style, you will love this movie. Somewhere is the unencumbered essence of all her signatures, showing simply the story of a nice man helped by his nice daughter told over a series of meals in expensive hotel rooms, and not much else. It's beautifully done and incredibly poignant in parts, but if you thought Lost in Translation or The Virgin Suicides were indulgent or boring, or you think she just champions the whiny rich, you will hate this. You'd be wrong about what her movies are about, but since a lot of people are wrong about what her movies are about, I thought I'd warn you anyway.
The story centers around Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff), a movie star well into his career, who is stuck in the routine of lazy celebrity complacence. He lives at the Chateau Marmont, arguably the most depressing place in all of Los Angeles, surrounded by people but essentially alone, wandering through parties his entourage throws for him, smiling politely at the blonde twins who make pole dancing house calls for him, and passing out in a drunken stupor while servicing eager groupies. He has everything, but he has nothing. You know the drill.
When his young daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) comes to stay with him, however, things begin to change. He starts to engage with life again, doting on Cleo and playing with her, but as is customary with these things, it is she who is really taking care of him, cooking him eggs Benedict (the girl is impressive) and inadvertently teaching him that his life doesn't have to be a half-asleep routine of watching bored strippers and doing donuts in $100,000 cars if you have something better and more important to focus on.
And believe me, I know how clichéd and corny that story sounds on paper, but there's something so personal about the movie -- and in fact, I'd say its scenes are excessively intimate -- that it almost comes off as refreshing. Yes, it's familiar territory, but the performances from Fanning and Dorff are so natural and believable, and their relationship is built and revealed so adroitly, that it feels like something wholly authentic. There's nothing forced about Somewhere, and the thing is also just so damn beautiful visually I don't know how anyone could walk away not completely in love with it.
Did you see Somewhere? Tell us what you thought of it, then see our guide to what else is coming out in the coming winter months!
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Hmm. After reading this review, I'm feeling motivated to go watch About a Boy again.
There are a number of slightly more depressing places in LA. Skid Row comes to mind.
After reading this review I feel like someone just told me Sophia Coppola is way beyond a non film school graduate appreciation. I listened to the interview on NPR with her, and sorry. There is nothing special there. She is just taking the cues and help from all the people she knows and passing herself off as "complicated". I would say she is at least as talented as Micheal Bay though. She plays to a niche crowd of people who like movies about rich white people that have issues. YAWN.
So, what are her movies about? Her movies are starting to come off less pretentious than your opening paragraph.
Well, her movies might be about rich white people with issues, but she's a rich white person with issues. You work with what you know, right? The only movie of hers I've seen is LIT, which I loved, but if all her movies are like that, I can see how people would get over her style pretty quickly. As for this review, if you think Chateau Marmont, a luxury hotel in Hollywood, is the most depressing place in LA...then I guess I can see why you're a little blind to the whiny rich angle.
If you base your entire film library around that fact your movies bore people into frustration and the actors and directors have the right last name then you are good to go with her movies.
"You'd be wrong about what her movies are about, but since a lot of people are wrong about what her movies are about, I thought I'd warn you anyway."
Nice to know you're still imposing your own tastes on other people, kinda like when you proclaimed a distinctly average TV show to be "objectively good".
Is it just me, or are writers of TWoP the absolute worst?
JB, I can't say they're the "absolute worst" writers as long as Dan Brown is still running around out there with a pen...but it's definitely getting pretty rough around here, that's for sure.
You make a good point, but I was also thinking in more general terms, not just limited to writers. In my list of "people I'd hate to be stuck in an elevator with", they're right next to Donald Trump and the doofus from Jersey Shore who named his abs.
In other words, bring back the Snark and reign in the Smug, TWoP writers.
"I don't know how anyone could walk away not completely in love with it."
Well, at least you know what Sofia Coppola's movies are really about.
@ JB: I don't know if TwoP writers are the worst, but Mindy is their worst blogger.