Somewhere (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

81

Film Synopsis:

Actor Johnny Marco (Dorff) is leading the fast-paced lifestyle of a tabloid celebrity. He's comfortably numb with his life of women and pills when his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Fanning), unexpectedly arrives at his room at Hollywood's legendary Chateau Marmont hotel. Their time together encourages Johnny to re-question his life in ways he never expected.

My Take:

Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Somewhere is a oddly crafted story about celebrity and parenting. Actor Johnny Marco (Dorff) is a womanizing, reclusive type whose quiet everyman nature belies his celebrity. Not one to shirk his duty to the tabloid reading public he drives a Ferrari, lives in Hollywood's legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel and more often than not can be found at wild parties or in the company of fast women. When not working he's comfortably content to drift through life with the assistance of alcohol, cigarettes, and various forms of entertainment that usually revolve around the opposite sex. When his 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Fanning) arrives for a visit that unexpectedly turns into an extended stay Johnny finds their time together rewarding enough to cause him to re-examine his life.

I find the meandering pace and abstract tendencies in Sophia Coppola's narrative style to be unfulfilling. I wasn't bowled over by Lost in translation and watching this film I felt much the same. The screenplay consists of long bouts of silence where the character(s) sit in pondering silence much like you would if you were home alone etc. The first forty minutes (roughly half of the film) consists of a series of sequences featuring Johnny either, sitting alone, driving his Ferrari, or sleeping, (any interaction with people in between involves a distinctive lack of storytelling). The majority of these scenes are purposefully long in duration with some including the camera s-l-o-w-l-y panning either in or out. There is one particular scene where Johnny has to have a plaster mold made of his face (to make a prosthetic which will later be used in a make-up effect designed to age him). The plaster is put over his face, with only his nostrils exposed and he must sit still for 40 minutes while it sets. The make-up crew leaves the room and he sits there. As the camera slowly pans inward and stops there is no sound other than his labored breathing through the holes near his nostrils (strange). Over the course of the film he receives several angry text messages, presumably from a woman, but there never is any explanation. It is clear that Johnny is lonely but not alone and has emotionally detached himself for some reason.

Things get more interesting when Cleo comes into the picture. It's evident that although he doesn't often see his daughter he is a loving father. While I didn't care for the lack of dialogue in the first act I did like its implementation in the depiction of the bond that forms between Johnny and Cleo during the two weeks they spend together. Unfortunately there is no background on their relationship. As the only one established in the story it leaves the overall plotline feeling thin. I will say that in terms of the subject matter Coppola draws a sort of realistic portrait of what life might be like for someone like Johnny Marco. It is told from a fly on the wall perspective that lacks surrealism but conveys honesty. I understood the narrative's context and while Johnny is a sympathetic character I didn't empathize with him. He is a shallow philanderer but is also vaguely charismatic and likeable which adds an endearing element that is essential to the acceptance of his relationship with Chloe. I found redeeming quality in the interaction between Johnny and Cleo and appreciated the heartwarming chemistry and enriching performances by Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning. In the end that alone wasn't enough to draw me into this pensive character study that played longer than any 98 minute film in recent memory.

Parental Guide:

The rating is for sexual content, nudity, and language.

Audio: 80

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Video: 82

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Somewhere comes to Blu-ray Disc from Universal Studios Home Entertainment featuring 1080p VC-1 encoded video that has an average bitrate of 25 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 2.6 Mbps.

This is a pleasing overall high definition video presentation that appears faithful to the film's original elements. Images are resolved well and offer appreciable refinement that is readily apparent during close up camera shots. The exterior pans of the Los Angeles area locations are fairly sharp with stable resolution and discerning textures. The film has a reserved chromatic aesthetic which leaves colors appearing natural but not especially eye catching. Fleshtones are on the warm side but lifelike in depiction. Contrast and brightness levels are balanced neatly which provides punchy whites and stable blacks. Grain is apparent and appears in fine layers that give the video a filmic texture.

The lossless DTS-HD MA soundtrack readily handled the elements contained in the recording. The presentation retained a front loaded perspective with well defined and clearly articulated dialogue. Sounds were reproduced with discerning clarity and delineation that brought forth plenty of subtle nuance and low level detail. Surround activity was limited to rear channel spatial cues and occasional directional sounds. This wasn't a dynamically demanding soundtrack however things like the purring of the Ferrari's engine had enough weight to give my room a tremble. This presentation was a perfect match with the source material and sounded fine.

Bonus Features:

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• Making of Somewhere documentary (17 minutes) - The cast and crew, including actor Stephen Dorff and writer/director Sofia Coppola, discuss the inspiration behind the film
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• pocket BLU
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• My Scenes
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• BD-Live enabled

Final Thoughts:

At its best Somewhere is a shallow and mildly heartwarming drama about a father and daughter who are thrust together and bond. At its worst it is a vacillating, uneventful character study that fails to resonate due to an abstractly conceived script and plodding screenplay. It comes to Blu-ray Disc from Universal Studios featuring good high definition audio/video quality and a solid making of documentary that is worth checking out especially for those who like the film. It is entirely possible that I am simply not a fan of Sophia Coppola's directorial/writing style but this film just didn't work for me. If you're a fan I would say that it is worth exploring via a rental otherwise I wouldn't bother.