Rating: 
Summary: Subliminally Effective
Review: The first thing that struck me about 'Lost in Translation' was the fact that the whole film focuses on 'THE moment', and at that, it is startingly thought-provoking. The moment of intercultural interaction struggle, when you don't know whether to feel amused, upset or uncomfortable. The moment of utter alienation, when, explosively, you get away from everyday problems and get immersed into the unknown. The moment of reflection. The moment of reciprocal appreciation between two beings.
Two despondent Americans are passing time in Japan - the middle-aged man (Murray) is working on an international photo-shoot, and the young woman (Johansson)is married to an erratic photographer and is deciding what she wants from her life. They meet one night at the bar, and talk, about nothing, yet what immediately unites them is a mutual strive for self-fulfillment, the lack of which is accentuated in a faraway city filled with so many unique traditions. Intoxicated by the radical diversity, and spellbound by each other's company, the two characters go through a revelatory redemption.
Simplicity is the key in this contemplative motion picture, wrongly advertised as a comedy (neither is it a 'modern day Lolita). 'Lost in Translation' does have its share of hilarity, most apparent in scenes of Bill Murray trying to communicate with the various directors, talk show hosts and karaoke singers. While slightly astounded by the militant ethnic disparity, Bill Murray is never offensive in his reactions to frankly eccentric individuals - he is flabbergasted by it. In truth, the film is about its two protagonists, suspended in vacuum, face-to-face with disaffection. As genuine as Copolla's sensible, minimalist approach is, their attraction cannot be described as sexual- it's candidly longing, and hence the age difference is neglected. There is little dialogue, little action, little plot - but we confront and go along with the movie, because it efficiently discovers a tone that swathes us.
Believe the hype - you will fall in love with the marvelous Murray, gorgeous Johannson and candor of this simple yet tremendously heartwarming, truly magical film.
Rating: 
Summary: You People are NUTS!
Review: How is it possible this movie has received so many 4 star reviews? I'm a fairly easy to please movie goer and sat in utter amazement at how UN-riotously funny it was. Over 80, 4-star reviews??? I guess my version didn't come with the appropriate drugs.
Rating:
Summary: What were they thinking?
Review: Oh my. Where to begin? This is a movie, which you think has potential, because so many people are telling you it was incredible. Well, I no longer trust anyone. You've literally got to see this to believe how boring it is. It will put you to sleep. It has a slow beginning, which, okay, I can handle. But then, the slow beginning turns into a slow movie. There is no point, no plot, and it isn't even humorous. Well, enjoy, if you're a corpse.
Rating: 
Summary: Much ado about nothing
Review: I can't understand what all the fuss was about this movie. Outside of a few comedic scenes, nothing happened. Bill Murray is fine as a has been actor in Tokyo filming a whiskey commercial and with gaggles of time on his hands. Scarlett Johansson is accompanying her photographer husband, the talented Giovanni Ribisi who is also working in Tokyo. She is trying to find her niche in life and is bored with the culture shock that Japan represents. Johansson and Murray strike up a friendship and become companions sojourning through the city. They eventually develope fond yet platonic feelings for each other.Sofia Coppolla is getting undeserved accolades for this film, which I fortunately preceded with a large cup of coffee.
Rating:
Summary: a romatic comedy without romance and without comedy
Review: Its an art film made with the best of intentions: "let's through out all the rules and make something totally different." Well they did, and the result is a romatic comedy without romance and without comedy. And the worst part is the missed opportunity, for Johansson and Murray do have chemistry, but it is smothered by pretentious adolescent symbolism. This movie is tedious, irritating, banal, with sparks of brilliance that never last long and leave the viewer frustrated and worst: bored.
Rating:
Summary: Such Disappointment
Review: Total and utter garbage. What a disappointment and waste of time. How the hell could this nonsense receive so much Golden Globe nominations and awards. It must have been very costly.
You would have to be very very boring to watch this.
Rating:
Summary: ONE PROBLEM
Review: I am getting tired of DVD's that force coming attractions on you. I don't mind if they are on the dvd as long as you can skip past them. This dvd won't allow you to skip past about 4 comercials. You have to Fast forward through them every time you put the dvd in. Shame on them
Rating: 
Summary: BILL MURRAY'S SECRET TRIUMPH
Review: The decades of Mr. Murray's acerbic wit and buffonery have masked his talent as a truly engaging dramatic actor...his breathtaking performance is a high-wire act of humor and sorrow... I wont detail the plot and characters as other reviewers have, suffice it to say that this film will take Bill Murray out of AAA ball and into the big leagues of fine actors. Look for meaningful roles for Mr. Murray soon. A triumphant, indeed breathtaking performance and reason enough to own the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Blade Runner
Review: Bob (Bill Murray) Harris is slowly entering the winter of his life. But he doesn't carry a baggage of regrets or a heart filled with broken dreams; no, Bob Harris is an aging film star who's fame has faded into Whisky commercials for Japanese television. Needless to say, Bob's ego and vanity are bruised. And it is needless to say: Lost in Translation doesn't concern itself with sappy Hollywood verbal cues and dialog; instead it lets Bob reveal his unhappiness through melancholy expressions and a resigned demeanor, magnified by the films claustrophobic tone and haunting atmosphere. And it is through these expressions that we understand that Bob is not only unhappy with his current surroundings, but, ultimately, with his family life back in the United States. Enter Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). A fellow American. Charlotte is young and cute. And unfulfilled. She married a man who takes pictures for a living; a man too wrapped up in himself. And he is on an assignment in Japan. Both Bob and Charlotte are drifting through Tokyo....and life. They find solace in each other. However, Lost in Translation does not give into fantasy. Bob and Charlotte understand that a sexual relation cannot bloom. These kindred souls are graciously aware that underneath their friendship hides a love that can never be given life. As Bob, Bill Murray gives the finest performance of his career. Funny, yes, but sad, deeply sad. Johansson earns high marks for capturing the painful transition into adulthood. Their relationship is the soul of the film. Japan seems to be merely a background, providing a few cultural laughs. Indeed, Tokyo comes across as an extraterrestrial La Vegas. Huge, creepy, chaotic. At one point, Charlotte wanders through an arcade with an expression familiar to anyone who has been to the zoo. However, [director] Sophia Coppola doesn't crudely counterpose the weirdness of Japan with the warmth of the United States. The sense of dislocation felt in this film isn't about a love of America. It is something deeper. Ultimately, one gets the feeling that Coppola wanted to say something about American culture in her film. Indeed, Japan is almost a refraction of the same ugliness to be found in the United States: the casinos, the arcades, clubs, cowboy hats, sprawling cityscapes, all come across as eerily familiar. American popculture is everywhere. It can only transmit emptiness. Perhaps the alienation felt in Lost in Translation is, when all is said and done, merely another facet of American self-alienation.
Rating:
Summary: A 21st Century Brief Encounter
Review: Lost in Translation provides Bill Murray with an ideal role, playing a washed up actor making a commercial in Tokyo for a quick buck. He's been married forever and is growing increasingly emotionally aloof; however, something tells him that he's not happy. Scarlett Johansson plays Charlotte, a young woman who's been married to her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi) for two years. She recently completed college and feels lost, with no idea where she fits into the world. Somehow these two confused souls find each other amidst the jumble of Tokyo and form an unlikely bond. People may go into this movie with many misconceptions, particularly thinking it's a typical Bill Murray comedy. You'll likely chuckle a few times but there are few riotously funny scenes, although I did laugh pretty hard when Murray encounters the "Premium Fantasy woman." Likewise, the pace is measured and some of the scenes may seem unnecessary, as they seem to add more to the tone of the movie than the plot; stick with this movie despite it's languorous pace. Ultimately, Lost in Translation is a genre-defying movie - part drama, part broad comedy, part black comedy, part romance, and so forth. However, what it does remind me of the most is a classic 1940s movie - Brief Encounter; both are understated romances whereby two people meet tenuously and find hope. I really disliked Sofia Coppola's directorial debut, the amateurish Virgin Suicides. However, she is in full control of her craft in this movie. She's found a unique voice that astutely addresses the disaffection and isolation so many of us feel in the modern world. Justifiably, she's become the first American woman to be nominated for Best Director by the Academy Awards and only the third woman in history to receive this honor. In addition to the superior direction, Bill Murray is outstanding, balancing his natural talents in comedy and pathos luminously. Overall, I most highly recommend this movie. Extras - The DVD contains a number of extras, including a fascinating backstage documentary filmed by Sofia Coppola's then husband, Spike Jonze, as well as a plethora of deleted scenes.
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