Somewhere (2010)

Rating: 15
Director: Sofia Coppola
Screenplay: Sofia Coppola
Genre: Drama

Starring: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius.

Sofia Coppola perfectly captures the appropriate blend of heart and honesty in this eye-opening American drama exploring the harsh reality of a Hollywood star and his struggle to re-connect with his family.
In this day and age it is almost necessary that we know the ins and outs of our favourite actors life, but Somewhere effectively visits the hidden cons that celebrity life can offer, bringing a simple, if not fundamental story to life.
Stephen Dorff is earnest and gritty as privileged Hollywood actor Johnny Marco who has gotten used to the Hollywood lifestyle and lost sight of himself along the way. Step aside Dakota, because Elle Fanning is here and she is cute - without being sickening - and relatable as the spoilt yet appreciative eleven year old daughter, Cleo.
Coppola is a fan of visual metaphors, and if you’re not, it is a suggestion that you skip the opening and ending scene of Dorff’s character driving around in his Ferrari – (which I am sure means something profound) - then skip the full cut of Cleo’s unnecessarily long ice-skating routine (which was beautiful, yet tiresome) and then leave it there, because other than that, nothing about Somewhere fails to grab.
It is possible to be fully immersed in the truthful and lovable relationship between Johnny Marco and his daughter as you recognise the struggles when Cleo is dropped on Marco’s doorstep amidst his hard-living party animal antics. Dorff and Fanning deliver a connection which is quirky and understandable and viewers find themselves rooting for Dorff’s character to turn away from his pill-popping, sleazy, drunken ways and give Fanning’s Cleo the Father she deserves.
The film is beautifully shot, whether it be the eccentric camera angles or Harry Savides’ clean-cut cinematography that gives the movie a 90’s indie-flick feel. A cameo from Jackass’ Chris Pontius adds a much-needed humour and kiddy-feel to the responsibilities that Dorff’s Marco has been lumbered with among Cleo’s arrival. Suddenly shopping for summer camp and grabbing dinner are a priority and Dorff effectively shows the out-of-touch-with-reality persona that most celebrities are destined to carry in this world of competitive media and trash-talking press. One of the first scenes between Marco and Cleo involve Marco asking his daughter if they are “being followed”.
This concern is quickly brushed aside when Marco realises there is a lot more to life than his failing career - so cleverly demonstrated when Marco attends a press photo-call and is all-smiles for the cameras before proving to have an off-hand, hate-filled relationship with his apparent “best friend” of a co-star. Coppola again proves she is not just handy with a camera but also with a pen as she cunningly depicts the truth behind the glamorous, perfect sugar-coat that the film industry is given.
Luckily for today’s Hollywood starlets, Somewhere proves that despite all of this, actors are human too. They have families and they have struggles. Dorff’s character breaks down in tears when his daughter is packed off to Summer camp – proving that he does have a heart and he can now realise what kind of Father he hasn’t been.
It’s gripping, it’s truthful and it’s quietly compelling – Somewhere opens our eyes and yet again is a sturdy success for Coppola with her tender words and her ability to grip an audience with the simplest of stories - in this case; family.