Somewhere

At first glance, one might assume that Somewhere is Lost in Translation set in Los Angeles. The short answer is "yes", but the long answer is "no." Set at the legendary Château Marmont Hotel, Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is an A-list actor who lives the dream life; partying every night, having strippers on speed dial, and more time in the bedroom than Warren Beatty. His wild life is put on hold when he wakes up and sees his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning) and looks after her before she leaves for summer camp. When they're not lounging by the hotel pool, Johnny and Cleo are either playing video games, flying off to Italy, or at the craps tables in Las Vegas. The vague and unanswered questions about Johnny's past and his wife, who we only hear on the other end of the telephone, are insignificant as Coppola focuses on these two people living in the moment as a father and a daughter.

While watching Somewhere, I felt like Johnny in the first fifteen minutes of the film; sitting on my bed and seeming uninterested, except that I didn't have two strippers in my room. Is there something in Somewhere? Yes, there is. What Sofia Coppola succeeds in is bringing the style and mood of the European filmmakers of the Sixties, like Godard and Antonioni, to modern day L.A., where excess and celebrity rule over art and dignity. The last ten minutes of the film are reminiscent of Antonioni's Zabriskie's Point, mixed together with Roeg's Walkabout, minus the exploding buildings and Pink Floyd soundtrack.

Cynics may think of Somewhere as Lost in Translation set in the West Coast, as opposed to Tokyo. However, unlike Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson playing the roles of two strangers who meet on the other side of the world, Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning wrestle with the transitions of maturity. Johnny attempts at finding comfort away from the excesses that cost him his marriage while Cleo stands out as not being treated like a Hollywood princess by being independent, yet yearning for the stability and love between her parents. Somewhere avoids coming across as an episode of Entourage by focusing on the dark side of fame; it's not drugs or alcohol, but loneliness.

Rating: *** 3 out of 4 Stars