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LowComDom Performances Presents
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LowComDom Performances Presents
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Film Review - Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation is a very unusual film. It has no main conflict. The characters are not idealized people. It is almost a slice of life, except the story is very contrived.
Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, a washed up movie star who travels to Tokyo to shoot a series of whisky ads. He does not want to be in Tokyo, but he is being paid 2 million dollars. Scarlett Johansson plays Charlotte, the wife of a photographer. He is in Tokyo to shoot fashion ads. She has no purpose in Japan.
Bob and Charlotte have one thing in common, they are not being supported by their spouses. Bob's wife is back in the US, and is more interested in what color carpet she should buy rather than worry about her husband who is miserable. Charlotte's husband is too engrossed in his work to realize that his wife is depressed.
These two discover each other in the same hotel. Both have time to kill, and decide to spend it together. This actually very innocent. There's no sex involved. They just hang out and see Tokyo together. This is most of the film. Then it goes to hell.
Bob gets lonely one night and sleeps with a night club singer. Charlotte discovers this the next morning and is offended. In fact she acts as if Bob were cheating on her. This is the only hint that there might be more between them than meets the eye.
In a way this is the flaw of the film. Until this incident, the story was about two lonely people who provided comfort to each other. After the adultery, it turns into jealousy and love lost.
This is a nice movie once. I don't know that I would want to own the DVD. I find this to be true of other slice of life films. I wasn't looking at my watch during the film, but there really isn't much to it. It's a novelty at best.
Film Facts
Directed by Sofia Coppola
Released in 2003
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewed by Mongo
