Venice Review Round-Up: "Somewhere"

Day 3 in Venice brings the latest from another heavy hitting writer/director: Sofia Coppola. Since Somewhere was announced, people have been waiting to see if it falls more in line with Lost in Translation or Marie Antoinette, not just in themes, but in actual quality. The film has also been buzzed about because of its casting; not only does Elle Fanning (younger sister of Dakota) have a lead role, but her co-star is Stephen Dorff, who could be in for a Mickey-Rourke-esque comeback if Somewhere takes off. Based on the (still early) word coming out of the festival, it's more in the vein of the Lost in Translation, and even for someone like me, who wasn't crazy about that film, that's definitely a good thing:

The film gets off to a good start from The London Evening Standard's Derek Malcolm, who writes, "The film has no big dramatic moments, just a series of sequences gradually making the watcher aware of just why there's a text on Johnny's phone stating: Why are you such a ****?" He goes on to say that "Dorff and Fanning play naturally well," and that, "[the film] may last a little more in the memory than Marie Antoinette, if not quite as long as Lost in Translation." Over at Incontention, Guy Lodge gives the film ***1/2 out of **** and claims "both actors are a delight...this [is] Dorff's finest hour" and Elle Fanning "is a quietly rewarding screen presence, perceptive rather than precocious."

David Jenkins of Time Out London, however, isn't quite so enthusiastic. Despite awarding the film ***/*****, his review gets off to a rather nasty start: "A cloying sense of deja vu radiates from Somewhere, Sofia Coppola's long-gestating follow-up to her divisive postmodern historical biopic Marie Antoinette." However, Jenkins also writes that "The relationship between Johnny and Cleo is beautifully modulated, satisfyingly free of the torrent of sentimental heart-to-hearts that a lesser film would have bludgeoned us with." He praises both performances, but is more enthusiastic about Fanning, who he calls "a revelation." However, Jenkins concludes his review by saying that Coppola perhaps too frequently borrows from Lost in Translation.

Additional Review(s):

Variety: "...A quiet heartbreaker"/"[Coppola] further hones her gifts for ruefully funny observation and understated melancholy..."

Empire: "...some audiences may struggle with finding sympathy with for Johnny and his zombified state of spoiled-brat ennui. But if you roll with it, Somewhere is a rich and sophisticated film that draws its world so deftly it's easy to forget it isn't ours."

Thompson on Hollywood/Indie Wire: "Witty, spare, and gorgeously framed, Somewhere should play well for the young smart-house set."

Venice Verdict: Though it will strike some as a retread of Coppola's earlier work, Somewhere is a quiet, un-eventful, yet compelling look at relationships.