(Chateau Marmont, you are no Tokyo Park Hotel, but you‘re still kind of okay…)
CAST: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Michelle Monaghan.
DIRECTOR: Sofia Coppola
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and pretty strong argument for enforcing a maximum limit on hotel stays.
There are days when I think that living in a hotel must be the best thing in the world. Think of it: (1) someone to clean your room/suite everyday and bring towels, (2) room service anytime you want it; (3) a decent gym and pool (hopefully) on the premises; and (4) most importantly: a bar you don’t have to drive to. Hell, I’d do it.
The hero of our next review is Hollywood actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff), and he is apparently of the same opinion. Johnny, like certain real-life bad boy stars, lives in a suite at the Chateau Marmont in Beverly Hills when he’s not off shooting some movie. Like, oh, right now.
Doesn’t mean Johnny ain’t busy, though. Far from it. He keeps himself occupied with the following cerebral activities: (1) watching private strippers do a dance routine in his suite; (2) sitting on his couch drinking beer; (3) promoting his latest film at local press junkets while smiling mindlessly with a co-star (Michelle Monaghan) that hates him; and (4) driving his car out into the desert where he goes round and round in circles.
You’d have to be someone with zero analytical ability to not guess that this last bit in particular is a metaphor for the rut that Johnny’s life is suddenly in. Sure, he’s a rich, successful actor. But is that enough? The answer is… well, depends on how rich you are. Because you can buy “meaning” if you have millions of dollar. Let’s not overdo the angst, folks.
Anyhow, things take a turn for the more (sigh) meaningful when Johnny’s daughter Cleo turns up at the hotel to spend some time with him. Suddenly, Johnny’s got a (sort of) purpose in life. For the next several weeks, father and daughter romp around. To wit, they: (1) play video games; (2) drive around L.A.; (3) fly to Italy on an unexpected press tour; and (4) generally walk around the hotel acting like they’re Bob and Charlotte from LOST IN TRANSLATION. In short, Johnny is almost happy.
But what happens when the time comes for Cleo to move on to her summer camp? What will Johnny do then? Will he go back to having private strippers come up to his suite? Or will he actually try to, you know, grow up? Is it even possible for him to do this? Will he eventually move out of the Chateau Marmont and get on with his life? Or is he pretty much going to grow old and die there?
Well, frankly speaking, there are worst places to croak than the Chateau Marmont. Like the hotel down the street that looks like Dracula lives in it.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: In our review for LOST IN TRANSLATION (review # 99), I mentioned that it was one of my favorite films. Basically a love story focused on friendship rather than sex, this film sharply divided audiences with its leisurely and abstract way of telling the story of two Americans in Tokyo who encounter each other quite by chance - and make an instant, lifelong connection. Do they act on this connection - or do they fight it? The answer made for one of the most memorable (and heartfelt) endings ever.
Director Sofia Coppola struck gold with LOST IN TRANSLATION. Her screenplay won the Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, and the movie landed on more “Ten Best Movies of the Year” lists than you could count with your fingers and toes. Given the resounding success of this “Little Movie That Could,” it was only understandable that Coppola would try to repeat history.
Did she succeed? Is SOMEWHERE as good as its universally-acclaimed cinematic older brother? Well, no… and yes.
No, SOMEWHERE is not as great as LOST IN TRANSLATION. The very structure of the former’s story negates attaining the same emotional power of the latter. The most exhilarating thing about any relationship is meeting someone new - and learning about them in leaps and bounds. That’s why the early stages of any romance are exquisite: it’s all about the thrill of discovering a kindred spirit - and gradually getting to know them better. This is basically the path that Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johanssen) traversed in LOST IN TRANSLATION.
SOMEWHERE is a different gem, though. It’s not a love story between strangers who discover they are soulmates. Rather, it’s a love story between a father and daughter who re-discover one another - and realize they are soulmates. The time that Johnny spends with Cleo makes him realize just how special she is - and she sees him for the first time as a human being separate from being just “Dad.” Sometimes, discovering the treasure that you had all along can be just as powerful, if not more, than finding a new one.
Because of this different track that SOMEWHERE takes, there isn’t as obvious a build-up of intimacy between the leads as there was in LOST IN TRANSLATION. Johnny and Cleo already know each other and have been in each other’s lives for awhile. The few weeks they spend together allows them to see each other with new eyes. But it’s only after Cleo leaves at the very end that Johnny realizes just how much she changed him during her stay.
This has caused a couple of folks I know to say that SOMEWHERE is unsatisfying and ends rather abruptly. I respectfully disagree. I think Sofia Coppola intentionally wrote the story that way. Just like most human beings, Johnny doesn’t realize what he has until it has left him. The scenes following Cleo’s departure at the end are some of Stephen Dorff’s best scenes. The scene where he breaks down and realizes the rut he’s in is Oscar-worthy. It’s Cleo who triggers this realization in him. Yes, it comes late in the game. But isn’t that how life often is? Only when something walks away do you realize its value.
Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning are terrific as a father-daughter team. Dorff has always impressed from as far back as his debut in the cheesy late-80’s horror film THE GATE. He’s always managed to combined laid-back charm with a passionate intensity. It’s an interesting combo that gives him a very strong screen presence, which he uses to turn Johnny Marco into an interesting character whose childlike wonder is never far from the surface. Watch the scene where he quietly observes Cleo as she practices her figure skating. It‘s a master class in the playing a scene to the hilt without saying a single word.
Fanning proves that the acting gene didn’t just find a home in her sister Dakota. I was so relieved that Cleo didn’t turn into the kind of irritating and whiny adolescent movie character like Mattie from TRUE GRIT. Fanning plays this girl as smart, but not overbearingly so. She also remembers to infuse Cleo with the same innocent wonder that her father has. Obviously, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The result is not only a believable father-daughter duo, but one of the most memorable ones to grace the silver screen.
And then there’s that wonderful ending. It’s almost as pitch-perfect as LOST IN TRANSLATION’s. It’s both clear and mysterious, at the same time. In short, you won’t forget it anytime soon and will be discussing it with your friends over drinks and such. Which is what any good movie should leave you doing.
In summary, while SOMEWHERE may not be the classic that LOST IN TRANSLATION was, it's still a very worthy effort that can stand straight with conviction. Just remember: it tells its own story...
