Rating: 
Summary: Didn't like it? See it twice.
Review: I wrote a negative review a few days ago, but couldn't get this film out of my mind so rented it again. I see now how easy it was to miss the essence of this work. This film will not hit you over the head, it assumes you are paying attention and can think for yourself. Not an easy thing, even for the quickest wits amongst us, but it pays off. Coppola lets her script unfold with subtlety and wisdom. Her film demands patience, and it demands participation from the viewer. Murray's performamnce is so understated that it lends itself to several interpretations, not all of them necessarily wrong. Johannson is simply heart breaking as Charlotte, not because she is lonely, but because she is real. The ending, which is very controversial for many reviewers, is actually a refreshing bit of film art. Its subtle, its quiet, and what seemed ambiquious the first time through is crystal clear now.
Rating: 
Summary: I guess you had to be there...
Review: I have never been a big Bill Murray fan. I have seen most of his movies, but never really appreciated his comedy, or his style. I was very pleased with his performance in this film, playing the washed up Harris with just the right amounts of star quality and despondent resolution to his fate as a man on the way out of fame.For a movie that has a funny man in the leading role, I found that most of the movie just made me very sad, but I found myself laughing all the same. The scenes in which Johanssen and Murray play together are filled with laughter and the happiness that one feels when surrounded by friends, and are starkly contrasted by the scenes in which they are apart, and we are reminded of the fact that the characters are away from home and loved ones. As a frequent traveller, I know both of these feelings well, the laughter during the day that makes you forget that you are far from home, and how it often hits you like a ton of bricks when you are alone in your hotel room. Admittedly, the mere emotion of travel does not a good movie make. What made me enjoy the movie more was the fact that it took place in Japan. Having spent some time there myself, I watched this film and often found myself remembering odd occurances and the eccentricities one finds while being an American in Japan (the scene in the private Karaoke suite is great). To add to this, the literal issues of translation were staggeringly funny, but mostly because I have been faced with them before. The concept of "translating" a culture is nowhere more evident than when comparing American and Japanese life, which share many similarities, but diverge at critical points to make the experience sometimes frustrating, but often humorous in retrospect. I think that this movie captures this feeling in such a marvelous manner. My final recommendation would be as follows:
If you deal with Japanese culture or have visited Japan, see this movie. If you have never been to Japan, don't let that discourage you, but keep in mind that you may have the urge to turn to your viewing partners all the time and say: "what was that about?".
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste of time....
Review: Normally, I like Bill Murray's movies but this was so excruciatingly boring I could hardly watch it. I desperately tried to find something to like about this movie and the only thing I could find was the scenery. If you like watching paint dry you might like this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Could Hollywood be any more stereotypical???
Review: Of course, most of the posters didn't pick up on this after they watched this cinematic atrocity... hmmmm... I wonder if it's cuz most of you are white Americans. Did anyone realize how they painted the Japanese in a non-human way? And every stereotype imaginable was used to portray the Japanese. I'm very embarrassed because this movie has received all these awards; what it should win is The Most Racist Film of 2003/2004 Award. I wish I didn't have to give this movie 1 Star.... I wish it could be in the negative range.
Rating: 
Summary: Hope you like previews
Review: This is the first movie I have ever bought that didn't allow me to skip the previews at the beginning of the disc. It allows me to fast forward through them, but I can't simply skip to the DVD menu. Does anyone else have this problem? I'm afraid I'll have to return it. I refuse to be forced to sit through advertisements on a disc I own.
Rating:
Summary: Save your Money
Review: Save your money for another Bill Murray movie later on.
I bought this movie mostly because Bill Murray is always funny.
WRONG MOVE. I know it got great reviews but frankly I fail to see why. I didn't think it was funny at all. It was boring and truly lost in translation. You be the judge but remember I warned you.
Rating:
Summary: Lost in Translation
Review: What planet were they on when they nominated this movie for Best Picture and Bill Murray for Best Actor? There is no way this movie is deserving of any awards.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Translation
Review: Bill Murray has been one of the most unappreciated actors in Hollywood. Thought of for the goofball characters he created on Saturday Night Live and in such comedy classics as Caddyshack, Stripes & Ghostbusters, his acting ability is overlooked. But as he proved in those films and equally great turns in Ed Wood, Groundhog Day, Rushmore, Hamlet, Wild Things and others, the man can act. In Lost In Translation, he gives a performance for the ages. Mr. Murray plays Bob Harris a movie star who travels to Japan to make two million dollars for a whiskey ad campaign. He is jet-lagged, has to deal with a director who doesn't speak English and struggle with the banality of his life. While winding down in the hotel bar, he meets young Charlotte who is in Japan with her photographer husband. She too is trying to come to grips with her life, but unlike Bob who is trying to revitalize his life, she is trying to find her direction in life. Both us each other to escape the confines of the hotel and escape for a few nights out on the town. They meet up with some Charlotte's friends and end up in a bizarre club and then singing karaoke. This produces one of the film's most poignant moments when Bob sings Roxy Music's "More Than This". In the performance, you see Bob baring his soul to Charlotte. The movie ends with Bob and Charlotte embracing on the streets of Tokyo and Bob getting back in his car driving to the airport. Charlotte is played magnificently by Scarlett Johansson and she is almost the equal of Mr. Murray. The brilliance of the film is in its quiet nature. Sometimes the two companions don't speak but you know exactly what they are thinking through their expressions. Mr. Murray conveys senses of fatigue, bemusement, wonderment, aggravation and exasperation all with out ever uttering a word. It is these little nuances that turns his performance from simply great to a once in a lifetime achievement. Director and writer Sofia Coppola has learned well from his famous father and she has crafted a subtle yet powerful and emotional film that is one of the best films of 2003.
Rating:
Summary: Worst Movie of the Year
Review: This is Hollywood promotional fraud at its finest. During the first 15 minutes my wife reached the point where she could not stand it. Since I purchaed it I perservered to the bitter end. What a waste of time. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: compassion & passion
Review: An excellent film of compassion and passion; subtle insight and harsh truth; wit and quiet strength.
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