Bill Murray plays a fading Hollywood veteran brewing up a midlife
crisis in this highly acclaimed Sofia Coppola 'fish-out-of-water' comedy.
Though getting paid $2 million to promote whiskey in Japan would be a dream
come true for most, for the melancholy Bob Harris (Murray) it's a lonesome
and tedious assignment in a land he neither understands nor wants to.
Everything changes, however, when he meets bored photographer's wife
Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) in the hotel bar, and the pair pit their
wits against the Tokyo nightlife as a cure for insomnia. An uncomfortable
romantic tension builds as their friendship develops, with both Bob and
Charlotte philosophically pondering their own choice of spouse and the
meaning of life.
Though the film loses some pace around the middle - with the inevitable
but drawn-out Karaoke scene the main culprit - this is a stylish and warm-hearted
offering, giving Murray the opportunity to add depth to his oft-practised
role as a lovable cynic. Much of the comedy is found in the confusion
arising from Japanese language and cultural differences, with Murray relying
on facial gestures and other subtleties more than the acidic sarcasm he
has built his career on.
Rising star Johansson adds buckets of charm with her down-to-earth youthful
manner, though it's hard to sympathise with her incessant moping and sobbing
early on in the film. Why she would be attracted to a crinkly fifty-something
who dresses like your dad is never fully explained, but needless to say
we're supposed to believe it's due to a meeting of minds rather than an
admiration for his bulging wad of yen.
There are some enchanting scenes of Buddhist temples and traditional
Geisha girls thrown into the mix, and the ample shots of central Tokyo
will be enough to pretend to your friends that you've been there.
Lost In Translation is a mild-mannered comedy, an affectionate romance
and a week in Japan, all squeezed into 102 minutes.
William Summers, 19.01.04
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