User reviews

I was living in Japan at the time the movie came out and I didn't get it at the time. My mistake was thinking the movie had anything to do with Tokyo and for me, seeing Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) be bored in Tokyo seemed so stupid to me.

But, I watched it again 15 years later and totally got it. Maybe because I'm lost too I finally got it. It's got nothing to do with Tokyo and everything to do with 2 people feeling completely lost in their lives. Tokyo is just a setting that's different from most westerner's every day lives to try to convey that feeling of "lost" to the viewer.

Neither of them have any idea what to do any more. Their lives seem meaningless to themselves. Charlotte has been married just 2 years but she's already disillusioned in her marriage. She calls her mom very early in the movie crying because she's in Tokyo, seeing new things, knowing it should be exciting but feeling nothing. And further, her husband is seeming like a different person than the person she thought she married. Her mom doesn't listen and doesn't have time for her (same as my mom, haha).

Bob Harris (Murray) is similarly lost. He wants to find some acting project he's passionate about but instead his manager has him making commercials in Japan. His relationship with his wife is clearly not going well (listen to their conversation on the phone about a hour in) and so he's lost too realising his marriage is basically over and they're just two people who happen to be living together.

If, like the younger me, you haven't experienced that feeling of being lost, the movie will probably do nothing for you. But, If you ever get in to a point in your life where you're feeling lost, watch it again and you might enjoy it.

It's been a long time since a movie has made me hurt the way this one did. Perhaps "hurt" isn't the right word. "Ache" is more like it. I could so completely identify with both characters.

Bob is a middle-aged actor caught in a life which has lost its zest and purpose, doing what he "ought" to be doing (making money doing whiskey commercials) instead of doing what he WANTS to do (plays). And then a young, beautiful, intelligent woman enters his orbit. On that level alone, with its mute longing and sexual tension, I can identify with him.

And then there is Charlotte, a student of philosophy seeking herself, her soul lost and adrift. She doesn't know who she is, doesn't know what she wants. Her life is a quest for authenticity of self. And I identify with her because so much of my life I have been seeking the same thing.

This movie isn't for everyone. They will call it boring, lifeless, limp. There are people, I realize, who have never experienced that kind of longing, who had never sought meaning in their lives, and searched for their own lost souls. They live for the here and now, without giving a thought to the spiritual aspects of life.

A friend said introverts will love this movie, extraverts will hate it. I think that is a fair surface assessment. This movie is all about the inner lives of two people whose souls connect for a brief time in an alien city. It is a love affair not of bodies, but of minds and spirits.

Some this movie will make angry. Some this movie will make weep.

I went through an array of emotions and expressions watching this film; most of them centred around how bizarre I thought it was, yet it was like a good book I simply couldn't put down even if the film itself lived up to its title at times.

This is by far the best work Bill Murray has done, and it will be a pleasant surprise for many to see him find a new (to me, anyway) side to his ability as an actor. He captures the role with such precision that you don't realise this is the same guy who, dare I even mention it in the same breath, provided the voice of Garfield last year. You see a few traces of his characteristic smugness every once in a while, but by and large the Bill Murray you see is a lot more serious... and seriously damned good.

It's such a simple story... unhappy married man meets unhappy married woman in a place neither of them are familiar with, and suddenly realise that they're all the other has got at least for the time being. In an age where Hollywood is trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to scare and shock us with something new at every turn, Sofia Coppola takes what should be the premise for a typical chick flick and turns it into something that anyone who has ever experienced an emotion of any description can watch and appreciate.

A brilliant film in any language.

When I used to think of what made a good movie, I would look at a movie from all aspects: direction, cinematography, editing, acting, story etc. The sum of all these parts make up the whole, and are also what lead me to my opinion of a film...

Then came Lost in Translation. The first time I watched this movie, I felt a strange sense of depression that lasted for a few days, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I watched it again and again, and felt the same way each time. I thought maybe it was because I have never traveled and would really like to, or that I have the desire to find the perfect woman in a strange world.

Whatever the case, I realized one thing. LOST IN TRANSLATION MADE ME THINK. It made me question my life, its purpose, whether I was happy or not, and what I want do with it. Never has a movie touched me in such a way, and for that reason, this is the one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. That doesn't mean its the best movie ever made, in fact, I can name many that are technically better than this film, like the one I named before. But I cannot name a movie that has had more effect on me than Lost in Translation, and that is why I love it and will love it forever.

Think of the last movie that really made you think, one that had such a great influence on you that it somehow changed your life, even for the littlest bit. That, to you, is a great movie...

Few movies make you THINK long after they end. That's OK. Movies are supposed to entertain and most do so without requiring even one ounce of thought. It's sad that maybe some of you out there prefer movies- and life- that way. Thankfully this movie is all about thinking and feeling. This is not a chick flick. It's a human experience flick.

This film examines and lays bare the intricacies of love, life and loneliness; the claustrophobia, insomnia and disorientation of traveling to a foreign country. The loneliness that creeps in after life's normality starts to wear thin. The spark of promise that meeting someone new brings. This is what life is about and what this film so flawlessly portrays.

How many of you can relate to and have actually been that guy/girl on business, in the hotel in some foreign city, happily married yet feeling alone and beaten by life's banality? How many of us have been tempted in that very situation, to stray from the confines of moral adherence for the lure of a forbidden, if fleeting, joy? How many have felt that tingle- that spark- when a stranger smiles and you think, "you know, in another life..."? Change the time, place and all of us have been there whether we admit it or not. Maybe single people don't get this movie; maybe it's for those of us who have walked down that aisle and are wiser to the realities of life.

The characters here are true. Their dialog is true. The setting is true. It's all tirelessly fascinating because we can all relate to it and it involves us in a way that most movies do not. We find ourselves drawn to every moment these two experience together and apart. We are intrigued by the glances, nuances and words they share.

Johanssen is brilliant and beautiful as the lonely, young wife questioning her marriage. Her beauty is classic, not necessarily sexual, though she is obviously alluring in this role. Her bee-stung lips, perfect body and haunting eyes may have something to do with that. Still she's more sophisticated beauty than mindless hottie, even at 19. This is a role tailor-made for her. It could never have been Reese Witherspoon or Jessica Alba or - God forbid- Jessica Simpson, or anybody else in that realm.

Murray is simply at his best. He does "exasperated, middle-aged and depressed" better than most, with his receding hairline and frumpy body. You really believe that these two could connect in a physical and emotional way, as remote as that may seem on the surface. What other 50-something could ever be believed to be appealing to a young woman as pretty as Charlotte? That's a tough chemistry to fake and I can't think of a more perfect pair. What drives them to this attraction is what's intriguing to watch.

Go see this. Turn off your "Major Blockbuster-Tom Cruise-Action-Pop Culture Catch Phrase-Big Star" mind and tune in with a more searching self. Watch this with your soul and heart, not your eyes. If you look deeper than the surface you'll find yourself moved by the whole experience. Yes, it's THAT good.

It's very interesting to see all of the ratings that Lost In Translation received in different countries. In Canada it is only PG, while in America it's rated R! And really, the only explanation for this is a brief scene at a strip joint that shows some nudity. I really look down on that R rating because Lost In Translation is a good-hearted film that should be enjoyed by all ages. Notice how during the 2003 Oscar season two films played the "only one special effect: the effect on the audience" card; one being this film and the other being Mystic River. Both are great films, both are rated R in the U.S., but only one of them can carry along its story without brutal murders.

So what can I say about Lost In Translation that hasn't been said a million times already? It's all true. It's subtle, down-to-earth, and allows the audience to observe and relate to the characters, Bob and Charlotte. Both of them have a life crisis to deal with, and I guess if you're thousands and thousands of miles away from your problems it makes it easier to take an objective look at them, even if they do follow you. Bob and Charlotte confide in each other and develop a relationship. That's what it's all about, and every scene is precious. It's a real and true to life kind of film. We never hear the lines: "Oh, Charlotte, I'm so glad I went to Japan. You've changed my life in such a profound way and you'll always be in my heart." That's because that just isn't the way it goes in real life. The feeling is there, the characters know it, the audience knows it, so it has to be left at that.

So, yeah, I love this movie. It's clearly the highlight of Bill Murray's career and marks the perfect first real stand-out in Scarlett Johanson's. It's so rare to see a movie that only has an interest in its characters (and only two of them, at that!) and makes them so charming, lovable, and familiar. This is a great example of non-Hollywood Hollywood films: the well-known actors and producers going to the roots of independent film-making. In an age where half the movies out there are packed with CGI, this is refreshing to see.

My rating: 10/10

It is not easy to talk about "Lost in Translation". Sofia Coppola's second film as a director is in part about things we never talk about. While its two protagonists try to find mutual solace in each other, their silence is as expressive as their words. This is a film that believes that an individual can have a valuable relationship with someone else without becoming part of that person's life. At 19 years of age, I am not married but I can understand pretty well that it is easier for a stranger with whom you share a moment in the bar or corridor to understand your problems better than your husband or wife. Here is an extract from Roger Ebert's great review of the film: "We all need to talk about metaphysics, but those who know us well want details and specifics; strangers allow us to operate more vaguely on a cosmic scale. When the talk occurs between two people who could plausibly have sex together, it gathers a special charge: you can only say "I feel like I've known you for years" to someone you have not known for years."

In this marvellous story, the two lonely individuals that merge the illusions of what they have and what they could have are two Americans. The emotional refuge, Tokyo. We have Bob Harris (Bill Murray), and actor in his fifties who was once a star, and is now supplementing his incomes with the recording of a whisky commercial. On the other side of the telephone, a frightening reality: his wife, his sons, and the mission of choosing the right material for heaven knows what part of the house. When we consider Bob's situation, we realise that Lost in Translation is also a meditation on the misery of fame. Certainly fame has great (perhaps greater than disadvantages) advantages but then there are the obligations, the expectations...

We also have Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a woman in her twenties who is accompanying her husband, a photographer addicted to work, on a business trip. But it could said it is as if she is alone anyway. Her world, just like Bob's, is reduced to strange days in the bedroom, the corridors, the hotel's swimming pool, and the bar, the perfect destination for victims of sleeplessness and wounded soul. The bar is the place Bob and Charlotte meet for the first time. They talk, little, but just enough. Once their dislike for parts of their lives are established, they begin sharing times that feel dead to be able to feel alive.

Bob and Charlotte are souls in transition for whom, surrounded and confused by exotic rituals, and a different language, allows them a moment to lose their identities. Both characters provoke similar feelings form different experiences. There are no kisses or crazy nights between them, but only a shared intimacy in which a night out, a walk in the streets, a session of karaoke becomes a powerful expression of their affection an complicity. The relationship we all await only happens in our minds and the protagonists, whom we are not allowed to know everything they say and desire. Tokyo metaphorically speaking is the third character in the film. The bright colours, the noise of the city...just everything evokes the various spiritual awakenings of the characters.

It ends on a perfect note leaving the relationship of the characters undecided. A rare gem in modern day cinema.

For anyone who wants a synopsis of this movie, the critics Ebert and Berardinelli have excellent, complete reviews of 'Lost in Translation', and they both give it their highest ratings.

My wife and I saw it tonight on DVD, with DTS 5.1 sound and both think it is a remarkable movie. I like Bill Murray in just about everything, and this will go down as one of his strongest performances, as Bob, the actor in Japan for a week doing whisky commercials. Scarlett Johansson plays Charlotte, the young wife virtually abandoned in the city to do her own thing as her photographer husband (Ribisi) goes to various locations for shoots.

What I liked most was the realistic feel. Being in a strange city, with unusual customs and a language you have no hope of understanding. Meeting someone who because of circumstances (age, marital status) will only ever be a friend. Being able to talk freely. Reflecting on where we've been and where we might be going. Many of the negative comments about this movie relate to an impression that it is 'boring.' I'll put on my 'maturity hat' and state that anyone who thinks 'Lost In Translation' is boring simply was not able, at least while they watched it, appreciate the inner beauty of this movie.

The scene that made the whole story come together for me was when they were in one of their hotel rooms (doesn't matter which), overhead shot, they were in bed talking, fully clothed, he is on his back staring at the ceiling, she is on her side, eyes probably closed, the tips of her feet barely touching the side of his leg, and he moves his hand and puts it on her feet. Then the scene fades to black. It is the kind of tender, non-sexual touch that tells us how close they have become, and that theirs is a relationship of mutual trust and admiration, not one of lust.

People like Bob and Charlotte really exist, and they really do meet up in very similar situations. After a week, they must go their separate ways, he to his family and activities of his kids, she to wait for her husband and figure out how to get out of the rut. We sense that he does not love her the way she needs, and we wonder what will happen.

Before IMDb eliminated its discussion feature there was a lot of dialog about what he whispered to her in the street at the end of the movie. To have made it obscure is suitable, it allows each viewer to imagine what they thought he would have said. In real life he is 34 years older, he does have a family, she is still just trying to figure her life out, to me it would have been a comment of genuine affection and encouragement that things will work out well for her, either with her husband or with someone else.

Death in Vegas' spellbinding song "Girls" perfectly sets the tone for Sofia Coppola's second feature film, the bittersweet, intelligent, mature and absolutely wonderful Lost in Translation. Trying to summarize the movie is almost pointless because the emotions the film sparks within you (in my case, at least) can't be described in words. The basic story follows Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a washed-up, depressed actor and an emotionally confused newlywed respectively, as they accidentally meet on Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo. The two form an unusual bond, but a bond that is infinitely stronger than that which they share with their respective wife and husband (Charlotte's partner is a jittery photographer who doesn't pay very much attention to her; Bob's better half keeps calling him, pestering him about which colour they should choose for the carpet back home). Bob and Charlotte's relationship is not really a sexual thing so much as a matter of emotional understanding. They're both stuck in life, unsure of what to do with the rest of it and certainly not very satisfied with what they've done with it so far. It's very touching to watch, in a refreshingly non-sappy way.

The film isn't all mid-life-crisis slit-your-wrists drama, though - it is also hilarious at many points, mainly thanks to Bill Murray, who turns deadpan exasperation into an artform in a role specifically written for him. The pressure on him is high because he is basically the heart and soul of the film, but he nails the part and he's so great I was really surprised to see that he was nominated for an Oscar (since the Academy rarely hands out awards to performances that are actually *good*). Scarlett Johansson is stunning and convincing in her role and more than holds her own against Murray. Giovanni Ribisi as the aforementioned dorky husband and Anna Faris as a brain dead actress are perfectly cast and it's hard not to hate them.

Sofia Coppola's direction is amazing, both stylistically original, passionate and spellbinding. There are many gorgeous images of Tokyo on display here and she finds the right balance between these eye-catching visuals, Murray's comedy and Johansson's angst. Her style is very different from her father's and shouldn't be compared. She clearly shows that she is fully capable of having a career of her own without putting her faith in Hollywood nepotism.

Favourite scenes? Bob's "Santury time" scene is pure comic gold, and the most emotional part, in my opinion, is the karaoke scene during Bob and Charlotte's night out, when Murray sings his version of Bryan Ferry's "More than this". The scene, the way I see it, says so much about the characters and what they're going through. In fact, I'd call it the most important scene in the entire film. Then again, maybe Sofia Coppola just wanted to hear Bill's awesome singing voice (he's actually really good!).

Overall the film is just perfect. The acting, the direction, the soundtrack, plot, themes, humour, visuals... what's not to like? I know some were turned off by the supposedly "slow" pace, which I just thought helped the movie become more captivating. The central relationship needs to take its time to feel realistic. Honestly, what do you want, car chases? It's an existential drama, not Run Lola Run. Sheesh.

For relaxing times... make it Lost in Translation time.

A story about a man and a woman who, despite their age difference, have more in common than it first appears. Both suffer with feeling lost and disconnected from the lives they live. Bob is a movie star who no longer does movies and instead does commercials. While this provides more than enough money to live comfortably, it leaves him feeling unfulfilled. Married for 25 years with kids, life seems old and uninteresting to Bob, which contrasts sharply with the bright and loud Tokyo streets.

Cut to Charlotte, a young woman with a philosophy degree that is also in Tokyo with her husband, who's there for work as a photographer. Charlotte feels lost and unsure about her next steps in life. One night, they meet at the hotel bar and strike up a conversation. This interaction leads to them becoming friends, and from that moment, you see Bob change; it almost seems as if a spark is lit, and life becomes more exciting.

Both feel neglected in their lives: Charlotte doesn't feel understood by her fiancé or her mom, which we glimpse during a phone call. Bob faces similar issues; his conversations with his wife seem more focused on trivial matters, like the color of the carpet, than on how he's doing. To me, the relationship between Bob and Charlotte isn't romantic. Instead, they are both very thankful to one another because they guide each other to a better understanding of their paths in life.

Overall this film explores finding meaning in unexpected places.

Being in a profession where there is constant noise, I enjoyed this movie for a very odd reason. The characters are pulling away from a hyped up society, away from a world, much of which is based on needless, trivial noise. Everywhere they go there is more numbing action. Watching the director of the commercial gyrating, trying to act like a real film director, despite the fact that they are doing a 30 second liquor commercial, typifies some of what this movie is about, a world where people are worn into the ground by a type A culture that is as vapid and unnecessary as we can imagine. I thought the Bill Murray character developed tremendously. While this trip to Japan was excruciatingly dull (money isn't everything), I believe that he began to see things he hadn't seen before. I liked that while he was struggling with his marriage, the crises were simple, day to day things that living brings to us. The young woman he meets shows through a whimsical kindness, that he is worth something. She is refreshing to look at an to be with. He, like many middle aged men, has self doubts. Because she has a sense of purity and can talk to him honestly about her world and his, he should go back to his life a little more sustained.

I went through an array of emotions and expressions watching this film; most of them centred around how bizarre I thought it was, yet it was like a good book I simply couldn't put down even if the film itself lived up to its title at times.

This is by far the best work Bill Murray has done, and it will be a pleasant surprise for many to see him find a new (to me, anyway) side to his ability as an actor. He captures the role with such precision that you don't realise this is the same guy who, dare I even mention it in the same breath, provided the voice of Garfield last year. You see a few traces of his characteristic smugness every once in a while, but by and large the Bill Murray you see is a lot more serious... and seriously damned good.

It's such a simple story... unhappy married man meets unhappy married woman in a place neither of them are familiar with, and suddenly realise that they're all the other has got at least for the time being. In an age where Hollywood is trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to scare and shock us with something new at every turn, Sofia Coppola takes what should be the premise for a typical chick flick and turns it into something that anyone who has ever experienced an emotion of any description can watch and appreciate.

A brilliant film in any language.

I usually agree with the general consensus on what makes a good film and what doesn't, but very occasionally I find myself watching a widely popular film and wondering what on earth people saw in it. 'Lost in Translation' is one of those films. It did nothing for me and I thought it was very average and even forgettable.

It doesn't matter to me how slow or subtle a drama film is, but I do expect it to connect with me and make me feel something. 'Lost in Translation' left me cold. I found it to be dull and uninspiring. The characters are wooden and emotionless. The plot does nothing and goes nowhere.

Maybe I will rewatch this film on another day and see it in another light, but on first viewing, 'Lost in Translation' is lost on me.

I had been well aware of this film's reputation as a masterpiece for some time, and when I finally saw it I was so glad I did. I have seen it three times now, it improves each time. Lost in Translation is a brilliant film, but also a film you need to see more than once to appreciate it.

Lost in Translation for example is a brilliantly written film. The script is wonderful, with a healthy balance of energetic humour and bittersweet soul-searching. The story, driven by its characters, is slowly-paced but purposefully so, any faster it would have detracted from any magic and poignancy and also would have made the title irrelevant. And I love the ambiguous but very meaningful ending. Lost in Translation manages to be both sad and funny, but it is also in its tone a magical and irresistibly moving film.

I can't say I am a fan of Sophia Coppola. I can say though Lost in Translation is her best written and best directed film, and probably the only one I would consider a masterpiece. And speaking of Coppola, she makes some risky but wise decisions such as the balance of the humour and the bittersweet poignancy and altogether it is a rock-solid directing job.

Lost in Translation looks absolutely beautiful too, with its skillful lighting, beguiling location work and stunning cinematography. The Japan-pop soundtrack creates a big emotional impact, and just adds to the authenticity Lost in Translation has.

The acting is marvellous. Bill Murray gives a delicate, restrained and masterful performance in the lead role, and from his performance here you would never guess he is the same Bill Murray who starred in broader films like GhostBusters. Scarlett Johanssen also gives one of her best performances as the younger woman trapped in a loveless marriage, not to mention she looks lovely here and shares a believable chemistry with Murray.

In conclusion, a masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Lost in Translation details the kind of wayward search for human connection many of us go through in life, sometimes young, sometimes old, or following a traumatic event. It's the time in our lives when we feel the most lost, and truthfully, many of us don't want answers as to how to better our situation, but just want somebody to go along for the ride. We'd like to find someone to empathize with, embrace on a frequent basis, and know that somebody cares about us and our wayward ways and to reciprocate such feelings.

With this, Sofia Coppola writes and directs a film about that search for human connection and what it can exactly amount to. We are immediately introduced to Bob Harris (Bill Murray), an older American movie star who travels to Tokyo to film an advertisement for Suntory whiskey. Bob has found himself in the mix of a souring marriage and no real close friends, and it is in Tokyo where Bob sinks deeper and deeper into a midlife crisis. Meanwhile, we also meet Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a college graduate whose husband John (Giovanni Ribisi) is starting to lose interest in her in favor of all the models he works with.

Later on, Bob and Charlotte finally meet and immediately recognize each others unfortunate situation. They spend sporadic amounts of time together, often not talking and simply speaking in fragmented sentences and lying next to one another. They aren't very concerned with long conversation; they simply let their lethargy in their current situations carry their relationship along.

Over time, sexual tension between the two builds, though both of them are still caught in relationships, regardless of how mediocre they are. In addition, neither of them are quite sure how to conjure intimacy with one another. The two are much more in tune with being static beings and platonic. This is one of the few dramas I can recall that allows the presence of the characters to take over rather than their actions. Coppola sits back and watches with a keen eye and a sense of mannered restraint how Bob and Charlotte get close over the course of their visit in Tokyo.

Coppola's interest lies in Bob and Charlotte's situation moreso than the progression of their relationship, which is a difficult thing to pull off in film without working with more of an impressionistic style. The brushstrokes Coppola paints this story in are more or less minimal, but they craft just enough out of a little so that we can recognize these characters, their feelings, and their current state. They have transcended living life into simply existing within it, rarely getting excited and scarcely finding any kind of mutual contentment.

Again, in these situations, all you need is another soul who feels the same way you do, and in this case, that's bottled up angst and complete and total uncertainty. The title represents a lot of things and the cultural gap Bob and Charlotte experience is only a small part of it; these two souls are lost within the translation of life. Life has keep going and two formerly active people who could keep up with the bustle have let it all pass by, letting sadness dominate their lives and fogginess encapsulate the remnants of the future. The translation lost is within the characters here, and that's sometimes scarier than not speaking the same language of the community.

The only issue that arises from this is that we get the impression that Coppola either doesn't understand Japanese culture or simply doesn't want to, what with the abundance of cheap stereotypes and archetypal Japanese characters played for nothing but laughs here. Coppola opens by ostensibly getting most out of her way, thankfully, however, through the use of subtle humor, but sporadically doubles back to throw in another jab or two, which can briefly throw the film out of whack. It reminds me of when a really artsy film wants to try and pander and connect with the audience when it thinks it has lot them, and, as shown here amidst others, the action has the opposite effect.

However, Murray and Johansson craft wonderful, low-key chemistry here. Murray's subtle sarcasm and overall cynicism are downplayed but in force here, as he employs facial expressions that speak louder than words could. He fully shows how he can be a hilarious comic presence and a fascinating, real dramatic presence and merge the two in one project, proving nothing but great range and ability on his behalf. Johansson, who was only eighteen during the time this was being filmed, bears mannerisms and a self-assured aura that would be more expected from someone ten years older than her. Such lofty material is presented and she handles the task of not being too theatrical or obvious very well, and it's a performance that requires both actors to place a reliance on their body language and facial expressions. This was by no means an easy role for Johansson, yet she breaks out with it and becomes a force all her own.

Lost in Translation details a difficult time in a person's life and, in the process, doesn't sugarcoat it. The lack of human connection and the feelings of hopelessness, regardless of short-term or long-term, are debilitating to a person, and this film goes on to show to reiterate my idea about life: if we didn't have at least one of these things - a passion, a good relationship with family, or close friends and people to connect with - we would jump out a window.

Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanna Ribisi, and Anna Faris. Directed by: Sofia Coppola.

A lot of my friends told me the movie was dull and had no story line. However, i thought it was a moving story about love and relationships and life in general. I believe if people watched the movie they'd like it more for the subtle brilliance that prevails. The roles played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson performed flawlessly with enough emotion as necessary. It will now be one of my favourite films though not action - packed it is a masterpiece of emotion and through the use of clever cinematography enthrals the viewer. I would suggest this is more of a chick flick though I'm sure most men will understand the true emotion of the film.

I admit I found it disappointing on the first look but I decided to give it a second chance and was glad I did. Only then did I appreciate Bill Murray's great performance and the wonderful photography in this movie. The vivid colors in here are really something to see. It's odd how some movies are so much better the second time around.

This is a very, very low key film about loneliness and about being in a culture that is totally foreign to you where few people speak your language. In this case, it's Americans - or at least the main character of film (Bill Murray) - trying to cope in Japan.

The film is almost two-in-one: a travelogue and a story. The former because you really get the feel of what it is like to be a non-Japanese speaking person in that country and what the customs of the people are in Japan, at least to some degree....and it's interesting.

Murray is the star of the story and any plaudits he's received for his performance are well- deserved. His facial expressions alone are classic! Scarlet Johannson is the female lead and she, too, is interesting to watch. These two make for a fascinating "odd couple."

I thought his movie was well done. My husband had to live in Moscow, Russia, in a hotel room on and off for three years. I visited him several times. We both thought the writer nailed the weirdness of being in a huge, amazing foreign city, time changes, insomnia, and being unable (not unwilling, we both took lessons) to speak the language.

I wandered around Moscow, (while my hubby was at work) rode the subways, visited places I never thought I'd go, (I walked INTO St. Basil's Cathedral!!!) but always felt like a ghost because I couldn't communicate in Russian. The scene where Scarlett Johansson's character went to that amazing temple and just kind of walked around REALLY hit home with me.

So, aside from everything else, Coppola did a superb job of capturing the weird, ex-pat lifestyle. Bravo!

If you like Pina Colada,

and other alcoholic drinks,

If you leave long pauses,

Cause it gives you time to think,

If you like bad Karaoke,

from collagenous lips,

You will love Japan,

where you never have to tip.

The basic plot is similar to Woody Allen's Manhattan. A beautiful young girl (married this time) has an affair with a much older man, primarily out of boredom, and because his gentle jokes help pass the time.

The movie start by discombobulating you by showing how madly different Japan is from America. The movie looks full of comic promise.

The movie slows to a snail's pace, and nothing happens. At least a lot less of interest happens than on my own explorations of foreign cities. The film feels sloppily and lazily ad-libbed.

The running joke is Japanese people persist in speaking Japanese, because they can't think of anything else to try to communicate with Americans. What is the matter with them? Why don't they speak the English?

The biggest mystery of the film is how did it come to be that a young married middle class couple are living in a luxury Japanese hotel next to faded 70's action star there filming a Japanese whiskey commercial.

The movie projects a mild racism, sneering at the Japanese, not as different, but as inferior. There is no affection or sympathy for them. They are often portrayed as robots or buffoons.

Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte was a good casting choice. She is extremely beautiful, without being flashy or glamorous. She has a unique wholesome look. She confused me only once when she donned a short pink wig, and I did not recognise her. I usually have a lot of trouble telling female actresses apart.

Bill Murray plays Bob Harris a faded, restrained, sad, hen-pecked, defeated character similar to Don Johnston in Broken Flowers, his earlier much more emotional and engaging film.

The moral of the story is, if you are bored, money will not help.

Among the most boring films I've ever had the discomfort to sit through. The interaction between Bill Murray and the young bored wife was interesting but not enough to carry a feature. The views of the rooftops of Japan and the gal's bedroom (split between her sitting at her window or laying on her bed in her panties and a t-shirt), just weren't captivating. The sad part was that absolutely nothing happened...no resolution, no great epiphany, no plot. Two boring hours of light interaction between two bored adults. I could go watch the neighbors watch tv and be as entertained.

Now, please, don't attack me for being shallow, not "getting it" or any of the other trite, artsy, or in vogue putdowns from the supposedly cranial elite. Just wasn't fun or entertaining!