Year:
2003
Studio:
Focus Features
Feature:
3/5
DVD:
2/5
Lost in Translation
is a movie two Americans trapped in Japan who find each other and form
a friendship and maybe something more. Bill Murray plays aging action
hero movie star Bob Harris who is spending a few days in Japan for an
ad campaign. It's a complete culture shock to him. He can't sleep, he
can't talk to people, and everything is different.
Bob meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a young recently married
woman here in Japan to be with her husband who is a commercial
photographer. They strike up a friendship because they're both night
owls and they remind each other of home.
Charlotte knows more people and takes Bob out to see the nightlife. Bob
makes Charlotte feel less alone and he has the wisdom of years which is
kind of comforting when you're life is unsure. In a few short days and
nights they become fairly good friends. And perhaps there is something
more but Bob has to return to his family and they both realize that
friendship is as far as it can go.
The movie has a rather moody cinematography. It was shot in location in
Japan and there are lots of short scenes of each character interacting
with the outside world and without dialogue. The actual story itself
seems a bit too subtle. There is stuff going on but you have to pay
attention because it's a dialogue-light movie.
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This movie won
Best Screenwriting and was nominated for Best Picture. Frankly I don't
really see it. Best Actor for Bill Murray I can see that. Even Best
Director for Sofia Coppola since it was pretty hard to shoot in Japan.
I think it's a nice movie but not Oscar material.
Extras
"Lost" on Location -- 30 minutes of hand-held behind-the-scenes video
diary. Fairly amusing.
Matthew's Best Hit TV -- The 4-1/2 minute sequence of Bob doing the
talk show. This is what people who were watching on television would
have seen.
Kevin Shields' "City Girl" Music Video -- garbled vocals mar this song.
Deleted Scenes -- 5 scenes. The only interesting one is the 4-1/2
minute press conference of actress Kelly (Anna Faris).
A Conversation with Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola (10 minutes).
Theatrical Trailer
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