Lost in Translation
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Movie Reviews of Lost in Translation
Movie Review: Lost in Translation - Mise en Place
Summary: 5 Stars
Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola's latest work, is without question one of the finer films of the year. The stylistic transition from her last feature, The Virgin Suicides, to Lost in Translation is not exactly obvious, but nonetheless shows Coppola directing a more mature-natured picture than she previously has. Lost in Translation's subtleties are its greatest achievements, while the actor's performances are the impressive allies to a compelling story of love, life, chemistry, and respect. If at least one Oscar is not garnered from this combination of elements, I will find myself sadly disappointed. The movie begins with Bob Harris (Bill Murray) arriving in Tokyo, Japan to shoot a commercial for a Japanese-brand whisky. Upon arriving in the country, it's immediately obvious that he is not completely up for this task. He arrives at a beautiful hotel where he is lavishly welcomed by the hotel's staff before retreating to his room to alienate himself from the experience. Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson, is also at the hotel. She is staying with her photographer husband while his is in the country for work.
The next evening, Charlotte sees Bob having a less than fulfilling time in the hotel's lounge and sends him a drink. Later that evening, they meet again in the lounge when both are unable to sleep. An instant bond is established and the two slowly begin to realize that they are the best suited company for one another.
Eventually Bob and Charlotte go out together on the town. In the midst of being in a completely different culture, where more than the language is a barrier, the two find themselves meeting on a much deeper level than they had originally planned. The fact that the age difference is obvious to the audience makes some of the subsequent scenes more intense. You're left to question if the two are going to take the relationship to a sexual level. You're left to question if the two are truly falling in love. You're left to question if the age really has any bearing on the chemistry that they feel together.
Therein lays the true beauty of this film. Although it would be extremely easy to have these two romantically fall in love, they're simply two people that meet on an emotional level. For lack of better words, they just understand each other. For the next couple of days they utilize their time to the fullest by enjoying their time together. They don't want the time to end, but realize that in just a few short days everything in their lives will go back to normal.
During the last evening of the trip, a fire alarm is sounded in the hotel forcing everyone outside until all is clear. At this point, Bob sees Charlotte and approaches her. The moment is uncomfortable because, through no intention of his own, Charlotte becomes aware of the fact that Bob has unexpectedly had another woman in his room the night before. Unable to deny the fact that she has become emotionally attached, Charlotte asks Bob when he is going home. He replies, "In the morning." At this point, it's in the open and the two realize just exactly how much fun they've had together over the course of their visit to Japan. This is a friendship that could very easily be taken to the next level, but somehow the two are smart enough to understand that this is something that just needs remain where it's at.
After leaving the hotel to catch his plane home, Bob sees Charlotte walking down the streets of Tokyo and implores the driver to pull over so he can say what he wanted to say earlier. Unfortunately, and fortunately, we are unable to hear what he tells Charlotte. We're only left to speculate what it is. I'm sure most people agree that it can only be one or two things. It's such a beautiful scene, though. It's one of the true highlights of cinema in the past several years.
Everything about Lost in Translation is in the right place. As I stated before, it's the subtleties that make it so great. Whether it's the witty humor of Murray, the innocence of Johansson, the brief appearances of the small handful of cast members, or the beautiful imagery of Tokyo, nothing has been overdone.
Finally, as I left the theatre, I realized just exactly how much my emotions had been played with. However, it wasn't until the second time I saw this film that I fully understood why. On some level I guess I had wanted things to turn out differently, but maturity of the writing actually made this movie ten times more enjoyable than it would have been had it ended the way I wanted it to the first time.
Movie Review: Lonely Days, Lonely Nights
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Murray is Bob Harris, a once popular American actor who now, in his middle-age, has found more acceptance and money from the people of Japan than from his own country. He arrives at a prestigious hotel in Tokyo and is given a royal treatment by his greeters and hosts. He is by himself in the land of the rising sun, his wife and kids having stayed behing in the US while he travels across the globe to do some liquor commercials. This Tokyo excursion will take about a week, and the monetary reward will be quite handsome. Contrast this with Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who is at the same hotel tagging along with her photographer husband, John (Giovanni Ribisi), as he does a multiple-day photo shoot. John is at work most of the time, and so Charlotte is by herself at the hotel, her attempts to keep from being bored proving fruitless. Both Bob and Charlotte are married people, but they are also very lonely people, and that is what "Lost In Translation" is all about.Bob and Charlotte catch glimpses of one another at different places in the hotel, and finally decide to converse in earnest at the hotel bar. The entire plot of the film is about these two people getting to know each other. The story revolves around them. In fact, the story *is* them. Bob, in his early-fifties, is old enough to be Charlotte's dad, but that doesn't matter here. It's not about age. It's about the place, and the points that each of these people are at in their lives. Bob loves his children very much, but we do not sense he feels the same for his wife. We hear her on the phone when she calls him, and the same weary sentiment seems to flow from her voice. They are becoming a couple in name only. Then there's Charlotte & John. Both are young, and both are self-possessed. John is into his photography to the point of neglecting Charlotte. But we get the idea that even if gave her more attention, Charlotte might not really warm up to him. She has issues of her own. If Bob is going through a mid-life crisis, then Charlotte seems to be going through a young-life crisis.
"Lost In Translation" is about being alone. Loneliness doesn't always mean that someone is physically separated from loved ones or from people in general. One can be alone in the middle of a crowded room. Such is the case with Bob & Charlotte. They're in Japan for a week. They don't really speak the language. Bob's wife is in the US, and Charlotte's husband is always at a photo shoot. The two lost souls find each other at the hotel, spend time with one another, and even sleep in the same bed together. But we know that while this is providing a small comfort for the time being, it is not a lasting solution to their problems. And we also understand that both Bob and Charlotte -- even if Bob's wife were in Tokyo with him, and John was by Charlotte's side all the time -- would still be lonely. Their life struggles lie deeper than what one person can provide, especially the persons they have chosen to settle down with.
This is probably Bill Murray's most understated performance, and it works brilliantly. He lets you in on Bob's emotions without betraying too much sentimentality. He conveys so much with just a smile, a frown, his body language, or simply the look in his eyes. He should get an Oscar nomination for this. Scarlett Johansson, who left me unimpressed in the movie "Ghost World" a few years ago, is excellent in her role here. She portrays Charlotte as a deep, troubled, yet intelligent young woman and, like her co-star, does it without overstating it. She spends much of her screen time walking around a hotel room in her pink panties, and does it so simply and matter-of-factly that it becomes both vulnerable and sexy at the same time. Johansson is definitely an actress to watch for in the coming years.
Sofia Coppola has succeeded in creating a sliver of time & place with "Lost In Translation". It creates two of the most realistic characters to ever grace the cinema. You forget this is a movie, and start to really care for these people as though they really exist. And you get the feeling that this is a single, solitary moment that will be over with and then fondly remembered by the characters for a long time to come. This sweeps over you before the film is even over, much like when you are in the middle of a special occurence or event in your own life, and you stop and think about the fact that at one point - very soon - it will cease to be the present, and will instead become only a nostalgic memory.
And there you have "Lost In Translation"
Movie Review: Subtle Beauty
Summary: 5 Stars
Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola's latest work, is without question one of the finer films of the year. The stylistic transition from her last feature, The Virgin Suicides, to Lost in Translation is not exactly obvious, but nonetheless shows Coppola directing a more mature-natured picture than she previously has. Lost in Translation's subtleties are its greatest achievements, while the actor's performances are the impressive allies to a compelling story of love, life, chemistry, and respect. If at least one Oscar is not garnered from this combination of elements, I will find myself sadly disappointed. The movie begins with Bob Harris (Bill Murray) arriving in Tokyo, Japan to shoot a commercial for a Japanese-brand whisky. Upon arriving in the country, it's immediately obvious that he is not completely up for this task. He arrives at a beautiful hotel where he is lavishly welcomed by the hotel's staff before retreating to his room to alienate himself from the experience. Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson, is also at the hotel. She is staying with her photographer husband while his is in the country for work.
The next evening, Charlotte sees Bob having a less than fulfilling time in the hotel's lounge and sends him a drink. Later that evening, they meet again in the lounge when both are unable to sleep. An instant bond is established and the two slowly begin to realize that they are the best suited company for one another.
Eventually Bob and Charlotte go out together on the town. In the midst of being in a completely different culture, where more than the language is a barrier, the two find themselves meeting on a much deeper level than they had originally planned. The fact that the age difference is obvious to the audience makes some of the subsequent scenes more intense. You're left to question if the two are going to take the relationship to a sexual level. You're left to question if the two are truly falling in love. You're left to question if the age really has any bearing on the chemistry that they feel together.
Therein lays the true beauty of this film. Although it would be extremely easy to have these two romantically fall in love, they're simply two people that meet on an emotional level. For lack of better words, they just understand each other. For the next couple of days they utilize their time to the fullest by enjoying their time together. They don't want the time to end, but realize that in just a few short days everything in their lives will go back to normal.
During the last evening of the trip, a fire alarm is sounded in the hotel forcing everyone outside until all is clear. At this point, Bob sees Charlotte and approaches her. The moment is uncomfortable because, through no intention of his own, Charlotte becomes aware of the fact that Bob has unexpectedly had another woman in his room the night before. Unable to deny the fact that she has become emotionally attached, Charlotte asks Bob when he is going home. He replies, "In the morning." At this point, it's in the open and the two realize just exactly how much fun they've had together over the course of their visit to Japan. This is a friendship that could very easily be taken to the next level, but somehow the two are smart enough to understand that this is something that just needs remain where it's at.
After leaving the hotel to catch his plane home, Bob sees Charlotte walking down the streets of Tokyo and implores the driver to pull over so he can say what he wanted to say earlier. Unfortunately, and fortunately, we are unable to hear what he tells Charlotte. We're only left to speculate what it is. I'm sure most people agree that it can only be one or two things. It's such a beautiful scene, though. It's one of the true highlights of cinema in the past several years.
Everything about Lost in Translation is in the right place. As I stated before, it's the subtleties that make it so great. Whether it's the witty humor of Murray, the innocence of Johansson, the brief appearances of the small handful of cast members, or the beautiful imagery of Tokyo, nothing has been overdone.
Finally, as I left the theatre, I realized just exactly how much my emotions had been played with. However, it wasn't until the second time I saw this film that I fully understood why. On some level I guess I had wanted things to turn out differently, but maturity of the writing actually made this movie ten times more enjoyable than it would have been had it ended the way I wanted it to the first time.
Movie Review: Deft Balance of Humor and Poignancy Makes it Both a Pleasurable and Melancholic Experience
Summary: 5 Stars
I dont understand all the negative reviews undoubtedly coming from people who have the attention span of the Jersey shore generation and otherwise feel like they are falling into a coma if things aren't moving at MTV pace. This movie was so well written and acted, thoughtful, genuine, touching and incredibly romantic that any negative review I see must stem from the audience simply not understanding this movie. Of course if you want some rom-com, bang-wang predictable formula, this wont be the movie for you. The beauty of this piece lies in the subtleties and the portrayal of the characters. Bill Murray has outdone himself in terms of acting skill. He is superb in his role as the apathetic, bored, middle-aged movie star stuck in the artificial confines of some luxury hotel in Tokyo to do a whiskey commercial. He is always in character and he never, ever becomes Bill Murray for even just one second, resulting in a believable and powerful performance. This part was written for him and I doubt any other actor could have pulled off what he did. Scarlett Johansson has an innocence to her that is only complemented by her intelligence and the serenity she exhumes. They could not have cast anyone better for this part. In fact, Murray and Johansson have great chemistry, despite the almost thirty five years age difference between them.
People got this movie all wrong believing it to be about the friendship between two lonely people or that it is about traveling to far off lands and being homesick. Far from it. This is a love story. However, that is really beside the point because the beauty of this movie lies in how this love story is told. The protagonists dont do the obvious things expected in such movies like sleep with each other (even though they could) or otherwise have a steamy affair that ends with separation and tears. No. That would have been cheap and predictable.
This movie is about two people who find themselves in the same place and time with contrasting perspectives. Each is afflicted by different yet parallel doubts about the course their life respectively is taking or has taken. These two are drawn to each other and able to be completely honest and unguarded with the other BECAUSE they are strangers without any messy attachment from the past. The conversations they have are at the heart of this and their loneliness is compounded by the noisy, chaotic, neon-filled Tokyo background which I think - despite crowds - is a very isolating and lonely place really.
Murray plays Bob Harris. He's married and has children, but he feels stuck and tired. He is in Japan to do a commercial for money but his heart is not in it and he's lost his drive and seems mostly on autopilot when going about his business. His marriage is stagnant and his wife keeps sending him tile and wall-paper patterns to chose from but other than that doesnt really talk to him really or otherwise shows any interest in him as a person. She just says what needs to be said, like she was closing a business deal, and then hangs up. Charlotte (played by Johansson) is a Yale philosophy graduate in town with her celebrity photographer husband John to whom she has been married for two years and who doesnt give her the time of day. She reflects on how her husband has changed during two years of marriage and how her own life lacks direction. Her husband, in fact, seems to have more in common with a light-headed starlet they meet in the hotel, than with his own wife. He even tells her that she needs to relax because "not everyone went to Yale." He then leaves her behind in the hotel while he is off for his assignment.
I loved this movie because it threw two unlikely people together and forged an unexpected, intense relationship. It is a story that is mostly about the things that aren't said and done, than about what is explicitly uttered. The ending is powerful because when he whispers something in her ear on the congested streets of Tokyo, we don't get to hear what it is nor do we ever find out. The effect is a strong ending that is not predictable but remains true to the film's elegance, subtlety and depth. As someone once said, maybe he gave her his phone number, or said he loved her. Or said she was a good person. Or thanked her. Or whispered, "Had we but world enough, and time..." and left her to look up the rest of it.
Movie Review: Lonely Days, Lonely Nights,
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Murray is Bob Harris, a once popular American actor who now, in his middle-age, has found more acceptance and money from the people of Japan than from his own country. He arrives at a prestigious hotel in Tokyo and is given a royal treatment by his greeters and hosts. He is by himself in the land of the rising sun, his wife and kids having stayed behing in the US while he travels across the globe to do some liquor commercials. This Tokyo excursion will take about a week, and the monetary reward will be quite handsome. Contrast this with Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who is at the same hotel tagging along with her photographer husband, John (Giovanni Ribisi), as he does a multiple-day photo shoot. John is at work most of the time, and so Charlotte is by herself at the hotel, her attempts to keep from being bored proving fruitless. Both Bob and Charlotte are married people, but they are also very lonely people, and that is what "Lost In Translation" is all about.Bob and Charlotte catch glimpses of one another at different places in the hotel, and finally decide to converse in earnest at the hotel bar. The entire plot of the film is about these two people getting to know each other. The story revolves around them. In fact, the story [is] them. Bob, in his early-fifties, is old enough to be Charlotte's dad, but that doesn't matter here. It's not about age. It's about the place, and the points that each of these people are at in their lives. Bob loves his children very much, but we do not sense he feels the same for his wife. We hear her on the phone when she calls him, and the same weary sentiment seems to flow from her voice. They are becoming a couple in name only. Then there's Charlotte & John. Both are young, and both are self-possessed. John is into his photography to the point of neglecting Charlotte. But we get the idea that even if gave her more attention, Charlotte might not really warm up to him. She has issues of her own. If Bob is going through a mid-life crisis, then Charlotte seems to be going through a young-life crisis.
"Lost In Translation" is about being alone. Loneliness doesn't always mean that someone is physically separated from loved ones or from people in general. One can be alone in the middle of a crowded room. Such is the case with Bob & Charlotte. They're in Japan for a week. They don't really speak the language. Bob's wife is in the US, and Charlotte's husband is always at a photo shoot. The two lost souls find each other at the hotel, spend time with one another, and even sleep in the same bed together. But we know that while this is providing a small comfort for the time being, it is not a lasting solution to their problems. And we also understand that both Bob and Charlotte -- even if Bob's wife were in Tokyo with him, and John was by Charlotte's side all the time -- would still be lonely. Their life struggles lie deeper than what one person can provide, especially the persons they have chosen to settle down with.
This is probably Bill Murray's most understated performance, and it works brilliantly. He lets you in on Bob's emotions without betraying too much sentimentality. He conveys so much with just a smile, a frown, his body language, or simply the look in his eyes. He should get an Oscar nomination for this. Scarlett Johansson, who left me unimpressed in the movie "Ghost World" a few years ago, is excellent in her role here. She portrays Charlotte as a deep, troubled, yet intelligent young woman and, like her co-star, does it without overstating it. (...)Johansson is definitely an actress to watch for in the coming years.
Sofia Coppola has succeeded in creating a sliver of time & place with "Lost In Translation". It creates two of the most realistic characters to ever grace the cinema. You forget this is a movie, and start to really care for these people as though they really exist. And you get the feeling that this is a single, solitary moment that will be over with and then fondly remembered by the characters for a long time to come. This sweeps over you before the film is even over, much like when you are in the middle of a special occurence or event in your own life, and you stop and think about the fact that at one point - very soon - it will cease to be the present, and will instead become only a nostalgic memory.
And there you have "Lost In Translation"