Rating: 
Summary: Not lost at all
Review: I loved this movie from the opening shot right to parting one. The dislocation of the characters is made even more apparent by the hyperreality of Japan. I read other reviews about the slow pace and making Japan look "ugly". All I can say is these people didn't get it. It's slow ON PURPOSE. The characrters are in an emotional, contemplative, stupor. How else would you show that? Exactly the way Sophia Coppola does, with close-ups and self-depricating dialogue. This movie captured the "otherness and familarity" of many Asian cities. Tokyo is the other star of the film and the warmth of the Japanese people. I didn't feel that this movie denigrated the Japanese at all. You have to pay attention to the naunces in the movie. It is very subtle. Not for people who want a "plot" or things have to spelled out for them.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, honest and genuine romantic comedy
Review: Sofia Coppola follows up her lovely film The Virgin Suicides with this gem of a film, Lost In Translation. For someone such as myself who passionately loathes the tedium and banality of mainstream Hollywood romantic comedies, Lost In Translation is a godsend. It doesn't waste time on a useless, predictable plot like so many romantic movies; this film is out to give the viewer an emotional experience. One thing I love is the way it's shot in a very realistic, almost documentary-like style. The characters feel like real people, not merely big stars who are just collecting a paycheck. The dialog feels truly genuine. That's what impressed me the most the first time I saw it. The dialog is real. It doesn't feel forced or phony and neither do the excellent performances. Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray are truly perfect in their roles as two lonely souls who find each other amid the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. The film tells us much about the characters using visuals. We see Bob and Charlotte spending time by themselves, searching for something or someone, perhaps. They meet and soon become friends, finding that they are in similar situations. In a place that is foreign to both of them, all they have is each other. In a typical Hollywood movie, things would be familiar and typical. There would be cheap jokes, predictable situations and obvious dialouge. Lost In Translation, however, always keeps things fresh. Bill Murray gives a splendid performance as the weary Bob Harris, who finds a real friend in Scarlett Johansson's lonely Charlotte. Sofia Coppola's direction is perfect. The film feels real. It never feels like a production. The characters feel just like real people. The backdrop of Tokyo forms a wonderful canvas for this story, and it is beautifully photographed. Lost In Translation is a wonderful film that is sure to delight viewers who are tired of phony Hollywood romance. The film never panders to audience expectations. It keeps things fresh, original, honest and genuine. It is truly one of the best films of 2003.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb? Oh, come on!
Review: This movie was boring, almost beyond belief. The woman I saw it with kept nodding off, and when we left the theater she asked, "Did we go to the right movie? Was that the movie all of the critics were raving about?" She had it right, even though she snoozed through about a quarter of the film.
Murray almost saves it with about ten minutes to go, by putting in a strong final show of his innate acting ability. The problem is though that the movie is so painfully slow up to that point, that it cannot be saved, ultimately. I would pass this one by.
Rating:
Summary: watch with care
Review: I have only good things to say about this film. It is superb. My only problem is, since watching it, I cannot stop thinking about Scarlett Johansson. Bill Murray is his usual brilliant self, but for me Johansson stole the movie. And thank God for no predictable hollywood ending. I was always skeptical that Sophia Coppola was just riding her father's coattails, but she more than proved herself with this film. This is one to own, not rent.
Rating: 
Summary: Overhyped but still very good
Review: Maybe my expectations of this movie were a little high, but when I saw this movie recently, I was left with a feeling of "is that it?" Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson both do superb jobs of playing two lonely people set adrift in an unfamilar setting. Both actors seem to play from experience more so than sole acting ability the emotions and feelings that may come across people in similar situations. The directing was beautiful and Sofia Coppola does have an eye for beautiful scenery and poignant moments. I love the lack of music where most other directors would put in a musical score to carry a weak scene. It is reminiscent of life, of meeting a stranger in a peculiar circumstance and becoming best friends, if only for a day or two. The ending didn't seem to fit the feeling or the tone of the rest of the movie and seemed out-of-place and very Hollywood. One downside to this is there were parts in the movie where I almost fell asleep and the person I was watching with actually DID fall asleep. This is not a good movie to watch when you're tired or easily distracted because you won't make it through the entire movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Emperor's new ennui...
Review: To borrow an Americanism, I cannot help but be far out in the left field as far as this movie is concerned. I saw this movie in the theatre a while ago and frankly couldn't understand what the fuss was all about. Bill Murray gives another deadpan performance and Scarlett Johansson is impressive in her role as newly wedded (but ignored) bride. Yes, they are feeling rather alienated and are bored out of their minds (for whatever reason) in this city that seems to be teeming with life (and myriad forms of entertainment). Granted, some people will bored regardless of their surroundings, but does a movie about them have to be boring too? Or perhaps, it's an inside joke: a boring movie about boring people, who are themselves bored. In yours truly's opinion, just as the title aptly puts it, there's something "Lost in Translation"...
Rating: 
Summary: Misrepresented
Review: Awful. Not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination. How anyone could call this movie "flat out hilarious," as a Rolling Stone critic did, is "flat out lying." Bill Murray fans, don't be fooled! There is nothing in this flick remotely like the Murray we know from Stripes, What About Bob, Caddyshack, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Scrooged, Meatballs, etal.
Rating:
Summary: A garden of zen
Review: I saw this movie in theatres. Loved it. Dvd followed shortly after with a less than thrilling audio/extras list. The movie itself is brilliant, set against the backdrop of modern day japan, adding mystique to the whole experience. I read a review on amazon.com by some idiot stating that the movie would have had better results, had it been set in america. Did you completely miss the point of the movie? 1/2 the intrigue and dialogue was regaurding how out of place they were to the rest of the country. People who hated this movie are the same types who hate movies like Kill Bill and 25th Hour. I personally found it to be the most enjoyable cinematic experiences I've had in years. Bill Murray DESERVES an oscar for all of his hard work as an actor (throughout the years), and this should take best picture, not LOTR:Rok.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite
Review: I've been hearing about this movie for months and I finally watched it keeping an open mind. I gave this movie two stars, one for the nice cinematography and the other for it trying to be different. There are two things that I didn't like about this movie: 1. The editing was bad: very abrupt, making it hard to get into the movie 2. It was distracting setting the film in Japan. These two people are in some sort of mid-life crisis and the film would have been more interesting and real if it was set in America. I know that many people didn't like the ending, but it didn't bother me because although I love a happy ending, one that makes you think is just as good. That being said, the movie also has to do a good job of giving you something to think about and in my opinion, I don't think this one did. If your looking for movies that are different and fabulous try "Chungking express" and the sequel "fallen angels".
Rating:
Summary: For those who think they're smarter than everyone else
Review: I've noticed reading these reviews that people who love this movie tend to knock those that don't because they think we wanted "explosions", "jokes about passing gas" or other raunchy comedy scenes. Please don't be fooled. This is not an "art" movie. It's not that Lost in Translation is boring--it's that it has no soul. Coppola does nothing to make the audience care about the charachters, or care about the plot. Those of you criticizing people who didn't like it need to get off your high horses.
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