Somewhere

Writer-director Sofia Coppola's personal and sometimes poignant father-daughter story centers on burnt-out actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff), who lives at Hollywood's fabled Chateau Marmont, which caters to upscale hipsters and is known as the no-tell hotel. Built in 1929 (modeled after a castle in France's Loire Valley), this is the place where John Belushi overdosed on cocaine, Benicio Del Toro reputedly had sex with Scarlett Johansson in an elevator, and Jim Morrison said he used up the “eighth of his nine lives” shinnying down a drainpipe from the roof to the window of his room. As the film begins, perpetually stoned Johnny is sprawled on the bed, listlessly watching twin strippers pole-dance for his amusement. But then Johnny's 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), is dumped on his doorstep, as his exasperated ex-wife telephones instructions to drop the kid off at summer camp. In the interim, the pair spend time together as Johnny learns what it means to be accountable for somebody else. Dorff superbly underplays Johnny, while coltish Fanning enchants; but unfortunately, the plot-less, minimalist screenplay meanders in episodic fashion. Despite winning the Golden Lion Award for Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival, Somewhere goes nowhere, ultimately coming across as an oblique, atmospheric, melancholy rumination on adult responsibility. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (17 min.) and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a small extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)