The movie bills itself as being about a hard-living Hollywood actor who re-examines his life after his 11-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit. In reality, that plot line doesn't come along until you're well into act two, which wouldn't have bothered me if it was replaced with more meaningful material. But it wasn't.
I think there was a lot left on the table with this one. Coppola delves back into her nearly dialogue-less scripts that tend to linger far too long on scenes that don't carry enough weight. For example, there was a 5-minute long scene where Stephen Dorff (the father) watches Elle Fanning (the daughter) ice skate. One minute would have had the same affect.
I understand what she's trying to accomplish by looking for meaning in the mundane, but that's a technique that's hard to perfect. And when it's not done right, all you get is the mundane. Wes Anderson has stronger knack for nailing this type of film making. Of course, he also uses a lot more dialogue to do so.
All in all, Somewhere wasn't a bad movie; it just felt incomplete - something the metaphorical ending didn't help. I really wish she would have made the movie that was advertised. Moreover, I wish she would trust her dialogue and write stronger scenes the actors can own.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but that doesn't mean it's better.
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