Somewhere Review

Rating: 2.5/5

Depression is not an easy thing to make it through. You could be the most powerful person in the world, and not be able to make a change. Why? Because when you are depressed, you're stuck in a rut. It's happened to both me and people I know, so trust me. It's not that you can't do what you want, it's that you don't want to.

Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is a Russell Crowe level actor living in Hollywood's Chateau Marmont Hotel. He has one hanger-on friend (Chris Pontius), and a stream of fast cars and pretty women to keep him occupied. When his young daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) is dropped suddenly into his life, Johnny, sees an opportunity to make a human connection and improve himself.

The character of Johnny Marco is depressed, that's no doubt. He drives his Ferrari aimlessly, he sleeps a lot, and when he has twin strippers, he barely pays attention. However, the performances of both Johnny and Cleo are never really brought up to anything outstanding. The direction is not as good as other Sofia Coppola movies, and to be honest, it's pretty boring.

Now, Somewhere does present an interesting portrait of depression. Considering that Coppola herself lived in a series of hotels as a child and that her dad was never around, I understand where she's trying to come from. The story never comes together though, and is more of a character study. For me personally, this doesn't work. The movie never gets anywhere, it just stays in the middle of nowhere. Your call.