I love this movie. I dug up my review at the time:
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Somewhere (2010), directed by Sofia Coppola 9B (I didn't give ratings at this time, but if I had, that's what it would get, then and now)
Sofia Coppola embraces minimalism and does so with style. This is a reserved, undemonstrative, almost introverted film, but one with many, many subtle charms. Johnny Marco, a successful but aimless and bored movie star, stumbles through his days as though in an existential haze. Stephen Dourff, a risky but intriguing choice for this role, is asked by Coppola to make something out of nothing here, and he does a remarkable job of doing so. He plays Johnny as not very interesting, not especially bright, not very insightful, mostly passive, increasingly lonely, and at such loose ends that he is clueless as to know what to do about them. Yet he does his bit unfailingly to promote his most recent movie, always shows up on time and in reasonable humour for interviews, is invariably polite to all around him, and shares an 11-year-old daughter with a woman from whom he has long since separated. His modest child care responsibilities increase dramatically when the woman decides to get away from it all for awhile, perhaps a long while, leaving him unceremoniously dumped with the kid. Rather than cursing his luck, he gracefully adjusts to the intrusion.
It is a fascinating performance, in its own way the equal of Ryan Gosling’s superb work in Blue Valentine—Dourff is especially great with his eyes, dull and lifeless when the child isn’t around, alive and attentive whenever she is with him. And Elle Fanning as Cleo is absolutely wonderful in a suitably low key way—innocent, likable and calm, mature beyond her years, fully able to deal with her father’s fame and the perks it allows her without losing her remarkable poise and natural common sense. Still, she is a kid with needs of her own, and her vulnerability is on occasion evident, bubbling on a very low boil just beneath the surface.
Themes get developed so quietly they seem to arrive on tip toe. There are no big moments, but a lot of little ones that add up to the final notion that for Johnny some sort of positive change is actually possible, that what is important does eventually become clear, that he will do the right thing. Revealing shades of Antonioni’s examination of upper class ennui, Somewhere does so in such a humane and gentle way that I‘m sure the great director would have been impressed by this very accomplished piece of film making. Hope this baby finds an audience.
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Sidenote: on the stylistic side, I agree with Amerika entirely (above).
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