Somewhere – Sophia Coppola

Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning in 'Somewhere'

Where to start with the new Sophia Coppola movie, Somewhere. Sigh. OK, here’s what passes for the story: A famous, sexy movie star lives at ultra-hip celeb honey-pot hotel, the Chateau Marmont. His sensitive, bright, early-teen daughter spends some time hanging out with him in his life. Both of them have issues… and that’s it.

The opening scene of the film shows a Ferrari going round and round an empty race track. The camera is static and the car roars in and out of our view, the sound of the engine  alternately approaching and receding and  as it completes each circuit. And then it comes to a stop. That one scene is representative of the whole film.

The first time we meet the main character, Johnny Marco (played convincingly by Stephen Dorff) he is lying on his bed, absent-mindedly watching twin strippers jiggle and wiggle their way through a take-away pole-dancing routine. Johnny is bored. It’s empty-feeling.  Sad. Is there something deeper at the heart of his malaise? OK, I’m intrigued, let’s see what happens next.

Johnny’s world takes a slightly sinister turn when he begins receiving abusive text messages, calling him a selfish asshole among other things. There’s a suggestion that that he’s being followed, and that his car might be tampered with. Then he hangs out a bit with his reliable old mate and screws a few women. Then his daughter Cleo (played brilliantly by Elle Fanning) comes to stay, because Mom Has Things To Do.

Next Johnny has to go to a premiere in Italy, so Cleo comes too. He does all the boring premiere stuff and is herded from place to place like a pantomime donkey. But Cleo is proud of her famous dad, who is applauded wherever he goes. They have some fun hanging out together, then Johnny puts a downer on it all by bringing a woman back to their plush hotel suite who stays for breakfast and isn’t remotely sheepish about it.

Cleo is booked into a summer camp (seemingly for poor little rich kids whose parents don’t have enough time to spend with them). She and Johnny drive to a helipad in the Ferrari. On the way they almost have a decent conversation about how unhappy Cleo is. This is it you think – redemption! But no. She gets on the copter for a week of camp fires and team sports, and he drives off. And he keeps on driving. Until he stops. End of film.

“WHAT??? IS THAT IT????” you shout! Well, yes, I’m afraid it is. “But what about the stalker, and Cleo’s loneliness, and his depression, and their relationship?” “Oh, forget about all that”, says the film, “it just IS”.

It’s a beautiful movie to look at, for sure. Dreamy, atmospheric and with characters who have potential and an interesting situation that we’ve not explored before. But alas, these things cannot make up for a lack of plot. After Johnny’s total refusal to engage with his problems (or his daughter’s) you have absolutely no empathy left for him whatsoever.

Coppola has missed an opportunity here to make a film that connects with people (ironic, considering the theme of loneliness). Yes, it achieves its aim of telling us about the world she grew up in, that the Hollywood life can be all beauty and no meaning, but unfortunately, you cannot help but draw the same conclusion about this movie. I found it impossible to shake the sense that this film decided it was cool just because it was shot at the Chateau Marmont. It may be called Somewhere, but this movie  leads nowhere.

Posted by Emma Whittle on January 21, 2011

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