Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst films of 2003...
Review: and I'll never understand how it got an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. All I can say is that American critics are being paid off--how else can you explain their over-rated reviews?! As Shakespeare said, "There's something rotten in the state of Denmark." In this case, Hollywood. There are a lot more deserving movies than "Lost in Translation" for the Best Picture Oscar nomination, such as "The Station Agent," "Shattered Glass," "L'Auberge Espagnole," "In America," "Big Fish"--even "Cold Mountain" is better than this movie. What is this movie really about? Nothing. It reminded me of "Before Sunrise"--another pretentious, over-rated and boring movie!
Rating: 
Summary: great movie
Review: I'll give five stars for the film, but four stars for the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: I think I understand now that I read the other reviews
Review: This was absolutely one of the worst movies I ever sat through. I wondered how anyone could appreciate it. There was 2-3 minutes that I laughed hard. When the Japanese director spoke in his native tongue for a full minute and the translator would have a 5 second interpretation for Bill Murray I laughed. Bill Murray knew he was saying alot more than that and the translator was more than abbreviating the conversation.
My view of the movie was imagine video-taping your grandpa sitting on the front porch napping. That was as exciting as I found the plot. Now reading the reviews I can only guess that if you actually visited Tokyo you would be able to relate to this type of boredom. If this is what a vacation is like in Japan I never want to go. I had friends got to Japan after college to teach English but they never said Japan was bad. I still give the movie two thumbs down but thank the fellow reviewers for explaining what some view as good about this movie.
Rating:
Summary: I Cannot believe this movie is up for Best!!!
Review: I ask you this, if you were in a far away place, FREE would you be sulking in your hotel room!!!. Was there nothing this beautiful land had to offer except a trip to a strip joint?? I think these people were depressed. What ever it was it was not worthy of 2 hours of a bad reality show of a business trip. I asked people who say they loved it to describe to me WHY they did and WHAT it was about and no one really knows. I think it is a case of "lets just hop on the band wagon". A great injustice to truly great writers directors and actors. I dont think this took much talent at all.
Rating:
Summary: Me too.
Review: I have to agree with the last reviewer. I was surprised to see such a low rating for this movie. Sweet story, great scenes of Tokyo at night, uplifting ending -- I loved it. You will, too.
Rating:
Summary: A movie that careses the soul.
Review: If you have a soul and you appreciate and enjoy movies ( as an art form and a way of telling real stories) you will love this movie. If you fancy Predator/Star War's/Bad Boys or any movie that came out later with a "II" designation as a quality movie, then you're lost.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Movie Deserving of More Than 3 Stars
Review: I am confused by the 3 star rating amazon.com customers have given Lost in Translation (3 stars as of 2/27/04). I have spoken to many individuals regarding this movie and have found no one who described it as anything less than amazing. In fact, many have seen the movie more than once in order to continue their exploration of Ms. Coppola's fantastic characters. The plot of the movie is very simple; this does not equate boring. The relationship between Bob and Charlotte is not a traditional Hollywood romance but stands above the solely physical interraction seen in many movies. These characters are in fact "lost" and find comfort in their foreign surroundings through one another. Please see this movie. Do not expect fisticuffs or passionate love scenes. Expect an honest portrayal of loneliness and the true comfort one can find through contact with another in a like situation. Again, please see this movie. 5 stars is not enough.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing!
Review: I've been a Bill Murray fan for many years. I expect great comedy from him, always. I was very disappointed in this film, and quite frankly, don't see what all the hype is about. The film was long and boring. What a waste of money.
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping acting, even better script
Review: If you've ever been in a hotel in a strange city, lonely and unable to sleep, you will instantly identify with Bob Harris (Bill Murray), even though Harris is a well-heeled star and you probably are not. But don't go into this film expecting the plot to follow cliches. Harris is a prisoner in a 5-star palace, dealing with a difficult wife back home, and running into nubile, much younger Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). You'd expect she and Harris and to have a sexual liaison. They do not, and the plot and script avoid a dozen other cliches. Instead, the story takes Harris and Charlotte down unexpected Tokyo alleys while the two try and sort out their lives.This film is directed with an eye to a stylistic capture of the reality of modern Japan. Bolstered by impressive cinematography (especially lighting and camera angles), it keeps the viewer interested and engaged as Murray and Johansson deliver consummate performances. Indeed, this is by far Bill Murray's finest work. Instead of the over-the-top characters in everything from "Scrooged" to "Ghostbusters," we see an actor with depth of voice, emotion, and facial expression. Sophia Coppola knows her subject, having spent several years in Japan. Perhaps she could have been a bit tighter with the editing, but there is little else bad to be said about this film. Of course, this isn't a film for the action-movie, dramatic-effects crowd. But if you are the sort who enjoys "slice of life," good dialogue, and a touching tale, well, order it now!
Rating: 
Summary: A Film Where Everything is Adrift
Review: Many critics are still in the process of absolving Sofia Coppola for Godfather III by heaping lavish praise upon Lost in Translation. But that's not really necessary. Coppola established herself as an excellent director with The Virgin Suicides, a film that is in fact superior to her latest effort. There's plenty to admire about Lost in Translation. Coppola has a light touch that gives her pictures a distinct atmosphere that lingers far beyond viewing. The movie continually has the feel of watching the sun rise after you've been drunk all night, and I mean that in a good way. Plus, any movie that showcases Bill Murray and compels Kevin Shields to begin recording music again has a lot going for it. But Lost in Translation is ultimately undone by a single weakness: Nothing ever happens. And I mean it. There's no real plot to speak of, no major shifts in character, no progression that compels the viewer to keep on watching. I don't mean that someone has to be shot or that people have to start hooking up all over the place. But in a movie, something, anything, has to happen. Otherwise, why watch? Many people, oddly enough, find this lack of story to be a strength of the film. I can't even begin to know why. Not that Coppola doesn't have numerous chances to construct a deeper story. But moments that could introduce conflict (like Bill Murray's character sleeping with a lounge singer), are instead left dangling, almost as if they never happened. And because the story doesn't really go anywhere, we don't get a chance to see the two leads characters emote. There are lots of hangdog stares, exasperated looks around, and so forth. But that isn't enough to keep the film together. The end result feels slapped together, unstructured. It was Coppola's intent to make you feel as lost and adrift as her main characters. In that regard, she succeeds, but that doesn't mean the movie itself does. There are also some oddly juvenile bits in the movie, particularly as they relate to Japanese culture. There are some jokes about Japanese people speaking broken English, switching R's and L's. But these are fairly tired stereotypes (even if they are occasionally true), and it makes the situations feel forced, even contrived. Lost in Translation was clearly based on real events in Coppola's life. And while, voyeuristically, that makes it occasionally compelling, that shouldn't be the reason we're watching. Coppola seems to have documented a portion of her life she is still unable to make sense of. What did she learn? How has she changed as person? Either she didn't, or we aren't allowed to know, and that makes Lost in Translation an ultimately frustrating experience.
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