Somewhere

Stephen Dorff stars as Johnny Marco - a massive Hollywood superstar who enjoys a life of debauchery (isn't that why you become a Hollywood superstar?). However, he has been feeling like something is missing in his life, and finds it being filled by his 11-year old daughter, Chloe (Elle Fanning), as a family emergency has them spending more and more time together.

When Johnny needs to take over as the parent in Chloe's life, can he do the job?

Is he ready to be an adult?

Is it better than being a wild and crazy guy?

Writer/director Sofia Coppola has created a movie that isn't reliant on fancy, showy dialogue. Instead, Somewhere is a moody piece where the audience is required to feel what is happening on the screen and watch the reactions and actions of the characters to understand what they are trying to say, feel and relate to each other. If you watch, it is worth the time, effort and investment. Just remember, you need to pay attention and work a little more than you do during most movies (if you want to be lazy, check out Yogi Bear).

Dorff takes his career to another level as the superstar who has the kind of life we all think would be very cool. Fast cars, effusive adoration and sexy women are his for the taking, but, along with Coppola's script, he shows us the downside and the emptiness of that lifestyle. You see the change in his demeanor and attitude as Johnny gets closer to Chloe.

Most shockingly, he does it by barely saying anything. When I interviewed him about the movie, Dorff joked that he said more in our four or five minute interview than he said in the entire running time of Somewhere, and he wasn't far off.

For the first 20 - 30 minutes, Johnny barely says a word more than acknowledging someone else's statement or thanking a waiter for a drink. Yet, Dorff shows us everything we need to know about this superstar as we see the vacant look on his face, the troubles his behavior lead to, his selfishness and the flip side as our movie star isn't concerned about it anymore.

Of course, Coppola helps with telling that story. She fills each scene with the explanation whether it be an angry text message from a paramour, showcasing the hangers-on who bask in Johnny's success, or a run in with another famous star. It's not about Johnny watching his daughter's figure skating practice. It's about what he is doing instead or how he is torn between the two.

And, Coppola blows me away with one of the final scenes, when Dorff tries to send a message to Chloe that things are going to be different. It's the perfect moment with the perfect ambiguity.

Somewhere is rated R for sexual content, nudity and language.