Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2011

Fans of Sofia Coppola will find this graceful but static portrait of an unimaginative and unmoored movie star (Stephen Dorff) to be thoughtful and accurate, but its languid pace and level of pretention will bore the socks off everyone else. I realize what she’s doing, but couldn’t find it in myself to care about the guy. Think Lost in Translation without the empathy. A highlight is the performance by Dakota Fanning’s kid sister Elle, as the guy’s daughter, who lights up the screen whenever she appears, giving meaning to his wasted life and a reason for staying in the theater to the rest of us. Oh, the ennui!