Somewhere Review

Four years after taking a stab at the big-dress historical genre with Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola returns to the passive, naturalistic slice of life style that she mastered in Lost in Translation.  While Somewhere may feel overly familiar, even lazy, it's a beautiful movie anchored by the touching chemistry between Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning.  Their relationship, as it blooms and stumbles, serves as a tie to the reality that could otherwise be too easily lost in the strange visuals the film presents the viewer with.

As expected, Somewhere eschews typical narrative form; the film denies a linear story and instead makes that linearity its ultimate goal.  The film begins with Dorff's playboy actor Johnny Marco literally going in circles, as he drives his sporty little number around a track of some sort for long enough to remove the viewer from the movie and wonder when the actual plot will begin (or at least when the frustratingly stationary shot will end).  Before Dorff even appears onscreen, Coppola dictates the audience's opinion of him: we know that he's aggravating in his self-indulgence and lack of direction, a sentiment that some film-goers may even attribute (wrongly, might I add) to Coppola herself.

The subsequent scenes do little to elevate our opinion of Johnny.  His life is presented as a series of parties and strange double-stripper acts that unfold with anything but grace, or even sex appeal.  It's something akin to schadenfreude; we're not laughing at Johnny's pain, per se, but he's so pathetic that he can't help but be comical.

Enter Cleo (Fanning), Johnny's daughter who opens Johnny's eyes to actual meaning in life.  Cleo's ice-skating practice is far more engaging to Johnny - and to the audience, as well - than either of the goofy stripper acts that precede it.  Cleo, though a regular (as in weekly, perhaps) part of Johnny's life, serves as a breath of fresh air, an escape from the meaningless treadmill of fame.

Dorff and Fanning's relationship is incredibly endearing and perfectly drawn-out.  It never sinks into easy cliche or sentimentality.  The closest moment to an emotional breakthrough is drowned out by background noise, allowing the characters to remain in their generally easy, occasionally strained routine of video games, dinners at the hotel, and perhaps not enough attention paid to Cleo as Johnny's parade of conquered bimbos campaign for another round.

Fanning certainly proves that the acting gene runs in her family: like her sister Dakota before her, she has a natural screen presence, and even more than her sister, there's never a sense of theatricality, a rare trait for such a young actress.  Fanning handles Coppola's screenplay - at least as interested in silence as it is in dialogue, and arguably more so - with a commanding mastery.  She allows her facial expressions and body language to define her character, making each smile or tear that much more meaningful.

While the lack of a dynamic plot may leave many film-goers unsatisfied, Coppola's examination of a relationship between a father and daughter is still an engaging and complex viewing experience.  Coppola finds the means of expressing seemingly inexpressible dynamics and emotions in subtle ways, trusting her two impressive leads to communicate far more than mere words are capable of.  In this sense, at least, Somewhere is a stunning success.