Written by: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius, Michelle Monaghan, Kristina Shannon, Karissa Shannon
Rating: [3.5/5]
Life as a celebrity exists with reality but also an idea of luxury and something everyone should strive towards as one would have anything they want. It makes people do whatever they can to reach that status through whatever means. While many films seek to capture the dramatic side of this lifestyle in both a positive and negative light, Somewhere takes a slightly difference approach in showing the mundanity of it all.
Hollywood actor Johnny Marco (Stephe Dorff) lives a simple life as an actor where he partakes in all of the duties asked of him and tries to find ways to entertain himself, typically through women. When he needs to drop off his daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), at her summer camp while on work duties taking him to Milan, he brings her along and receives a revelation about his lifestyle.
Quite methodical in its presentation with a distinct purpose Somewhere seeks to show the dull side of celebrity life and why it does not always present this incredibly fun and lavish daily splurge some believe it to be. While that may serve as the case for some, Johnny enjoys a decent level of fame and finds deep unhappiness within it. When breaking down how he goes about his life, some heterosexual men would take the deal in a heartbeat but the way this feature presents it all has this inherent sadness to it. One of the areas Johnny likes to indulge him is hiring two twin women who specialize in pole dancing. Something meant for arousal, but Johnny just sits there on his bed barely able to stay awake. These two women perform their duty with music playing but when hearing the way their bodies glide on the poles takes away from this mysticism around the act making it merely work. That’s what celebrity status Johnny navigates with, it’s just work for him.
That’s not to say he does not get any enjoyment from this lifestyle as seen through the many ways he engages in casual sex with women who obviously recognize him and seek the opportunity to sleep with him. However, it comes with this emptiness and leaves a void he simply cannot fill as shown through the ways he barely interacts with anyone he does not need to. This begins to change as we see these interactions he has with his daughter. The setup he has with his ex-wife allows an inference that he typically gets Cleo for a weekend or so while she spends more time with the mother on most days. It makes the moments Cleo shares with her father one filled with fun where they play Guitar Hero and, on this occasion, she gets to go to Italy with him for his work. This particular interaction between them carries some power as it begins to display a meaningful connection he has with someone. Not a relationship that will end the following morning but something real and he sees it finally with his very own daughter.
The approach taken by Sofia Coppola in this feature comes with intentionality but makes it quite the odd viewing experience. Everything about this gets presented in a straightforward and uninteresting manner because it matches the very mood of Johnny and how he goes about each day of his life now. Nothing flashy necessarily gets presented here but rather a simpler presentation of the facts of this man’s life. For a director who knows how to add her flourishes on a visual level, her more reserved approach in displaying this story does raise some eyebrows but gets right at what she wants to communicate. Having this story come from someone like Sofia, who was raised in celebrity status because of her father, Francis Ford Coppola, displays her perspective on what this life looks like in reality.
Even with the lifestyle many would trade their kidney to have, Somewhere shows how sadness can build in the everyday machinations of a celebrity’s life. A sadness fermenting not from lacking physical resources, but rather an emptiness in the relationships held and interactions with others in an industry that can isolate individuals. Having us care for his plight shows how well Sofia Coppola directs this feature as it serves as a testament to her ability to tell a good story and she does just that here.
Films with Josh 
