Over 16,529,338 people are on fubar.
What are you waiting for?
Somewhere is Sophia Coppola's second film I've seen. This is the first time I've watched this film and it let me down. I am a huge fan of Lost in Translation and had high hopes for this. I heard it was slow so I at least prepared myself for the pace. The first shot is a car going in a circle five time and then stopping and a guy steps out. It's probably a two minute shot that sets up the pace you have to get used to. Once the movie got going I was fine with the slow pace.
One thing I can say about Sophia is that she knows how to make characters. The scenes between father and daughter are enjoyable to watch and build the connection you are hoping they have. With the first half hour being no kid, the film really didn't seem to be needed that much. You can get that he is a numb actor with a lot less than the 30 minutes he gets. Nonetheless the film works.
But, with seeing Lost in Translation so many times and loving everything about it, this film tries too hard to be the next one. Sophia put too much simliarity in this film that it bothered me. First both films have a numb actor. They both have scenes where the actor has to try to understand a director who speaks in a foreign language and they both have a scene where you don't hear what they are saying to each other (however you could hear what he was saying in this one, but it's the attempt that bothered me).
Just a quick little thing to touch on. Two cameos were interesting. Michelle Monaghan shows up for 1 minute for no reason. The second cameo is a great one by Benicio Del Toro. It's short and sweet.
Positive: Characters, Father/Daughter interaction, Unique style of filmmaking
Negative: Pace takes time to get used too, Falls short of Lost in Translation, Left unfulfilled
Final thoughts: The film was different. Coppolla has a style and you either love it or hate it. The film has some great scenes and is shot wonderfully but the pace and overall message/feeling you get at the end, just didn't work for me. THe average person would turn this off but if you are looking for something different and have 90 minutes to spare. I think you with enjoy the ride but won't remember it the next day. I still like Copolla but she needs to get back to the greatness she had with Lost in Translation. I'm looking forward to her next film and the direction she is heading (more Bill Murray wouldn't hurt).
Score 4/5
*Two films down, 28 to go. Any suggests on what to watch next? Thanks for reading. Always looking for input to make this better.
