Lost in Translation review

[TAFKAn]

SPOILER WARNING: Last paragraph discusses the ending.

Got a chance to actually leave the house while grandma watched the two-year-old. Took my wife to see an excellent film "Lost in Translation".

This movie has already had a good amount of hype, so you've all probably heard what a wonderful, career-best performance Bill Murray gave. To be honest, I didn't find his performance so fantastic. It was good, but he's been good for a while now. It wasn't significantly better than he did in Rushmore and others.

The movie did a wonderful job of conveying the sense of being ill at-ease in a foreign country and really, truly, feeling like a stranger in a strange land. It's very hard to do and this film did it well.

It was genuinely funny as well. I laughed several times.

The general ennui and malaise of the heroes is belabored a little too much if you ask me. A good five minutes of the early part of the film could have been cut. We get it. They are unhappy and listless. Next. The director seems to think we're too stupid or something.

SPOILER
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Lastly, the movie ends with a terrible copout. Instead of a parting final word between the two main characters who have developed a wonderful rapport during the film without having sex (another thing that's hard to do), Murray's character whispers into her ear and we don't hear it.

I understand the point. It doesn't matter what he said. We can surmise what he said. I still say it's a cheap way for the writer to avoid actually having to write a knock-out punch of last line, which is what is expected here.

This review comes off sounding negative but I thoroughly enjoyed the film and it is one of the top films of the year.

[Rushmore]

I didn't read the spoiler, because I intend to see the film.

That said, this film ought to be pretty damned good, seeing as Sophia Coppola owes the world no less than 3 magnificent films to counteract her effect on Godfather III.

I figure she did ok with The Virgin Suicides, there's this, and to get even, something of a caliber, oh, say, along the lines of, well...Harold and Maude would do just fine.

I think of her similarly to how I think of that guy who reached out of the stands last night and certainly did his best to cost the Cubs the game.

But that's cross-threading, and I'll call the foul on myself.

Ok. Game on.

[daryn]

you call that a spoiler??

[andyfox]

I liked the ending. It was the only thing in the script that showed some thought. The rest of the script was almost non-existent. I've been to Tokyo and stayed at the Park Hyatt and the evocation of being in Tokyo, jet-lagged, unable to sleep, feeling strange in a strange place, was great. For about half an hour. Then nothing happpened. And then nothing happened again. The supposed sexual tension between the two protagonists didn't register with me because a) Murray said almost nothing the entire movie, which was a shame because I find him a very funny guy; and b) the female lead was, IMO, terrible, a boring actor.

But the big problem was the lack of a script. OK, I get it, they're both unhappy in their lives and in Tokyo. I don't need to see her looking out the window forty-six times.

But I liked the ending. Who knows what happens? Hard to believe Murray could have given her words of wisdom since he was hardly wise, just older than her. But it was a touch of something thought out carefully, rather than just the meandering of the rest of the movie.

Overall, I thought it was OK. FWIW, both my wife and sister-in-law loved it.

[daryn]

i just now saw this movie, and didn't think it was good. anyone else have comments?

[cornell2005]

the ending is part of what made it great. if it had ended any other way it would have been much more cliche

[Rushmore]

I thought it was yet another situation where some Hollywood darlings are all being fawned all over by the darling-loving media in Hollywood.

I mean, yes, the movie is better than Ernest Goes To Camp (I would assume).

But for crying out loud, it's nothing more than a nice little change of pace. It's a little quirky where it needs to be, endearing in spots, and generally not disagreeable, but there's lots out there that can say the same, and we haven't christened all involved as the future of Hollywood and the salvation of the arts in general.

That said, I DO recommend it. I just do not recommend believing the hype at all, because you, like me, will be disappointed.

[Eihli]

back up a minute. what is wrong with ernest goes to camp? you make it sound like that's a bad movie.

"You drag the blade along the stone untill it... cuts into... the.. flesh.... and.... look! a rabbit!"

<3 4 ernest

[PuppetMaster]

It starts off with an average looking ass in see-through panties, and it goes down hill from there.

The movie is filled with tons of dead air time. Bill Murray takes a shower and gets dressed - thats 4 minutes right there.

Bill Murray once again proves his only good film is Stripes.

Total Garbage

[PuppetMaster]

[ QUOTE ]
I liked the ending. It was the only thing in the script that showed some thought. The rest of the script was almost non-existent. I've been to Tokyo and stayed at the Park Hyatt and the evocation of being in Tokyo, jet-lagged, unable to sleep, feeling strange in a strange place, was great. For about half an hour. Then nothing happpened. And then nothing happened again. The supposed sexual tension between the two protagonists didn't register with me because a) Murray said almost nothing the entire movie, which was a shame because I find him a very funny guy; and b) the female lead was, IMO, terrible, a boring actor.

But the big problem was the lack of a script. OK, I get it, they're both unhappy in their lives and in Tokyo. I don't need to see her looking out the window forty-six times.

But I liked the ending. Who knows what happens? Hard to believe Murray could have given her words of wisdom since he was hardly wise, just older than her. But it was a touch of something thought out carefully, rather than just the meandering of the rest of the movie.

Overall, I thought it was OK. FWIW, both my wife and sister-in-law loved it.

[/ QUOTE ]
Whenever your wife/sister-in-law/mom love a movie, you KNOW it is total garbage.

[andyfox]

I liked him in Groundhog Day.

[bernie]

I thought it was pretty good, overall. But i like 'slice of life' type of movies like this. Kind of like 'Thirteen.' Holly Hunter did a great job in that one, btw.

I thought the ending was real good the way they did it.

But there was one part i absolutely hated.

Ill put a SPOILER tag here if you dont want to know about the movie before seeing it. If so, stop here.

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The part that really pisses me off, along with bugging a buddy of mine, is in a movie/tv show, it is so cliche and biased/double standard to make a guy look like an A hole and not the gal. They basically have Bills character cheat on his wife. I suppose this could be to add tension to the relationship (which it did) when the chick comes to the door. You rarely see it the other way around in a flick like this. My bud and I thought they couldve added the tension in other ways and got the point across without having him actually cheat. Just a pet peave of mine. I thought it kind of cheapened the experience a little as it's a hollywood fall back plot twist.

Anyways, i dug it as a whole.

It's one of those movies i think people will either like or care less about.

b

[andyfox]

First of all, Murray was the worldiwise one, the jaded been-there-done-that middle-aged movie star. Of course he's going to be the jerk, as opposed to the young thing on her first (?) trip to Asia.

Second, it seemed to me she was the one who wanted to take the relationship horizontal and he showed no interest in it, because he had too much respect for her as a person (as opposed to the floozie he eneded up with).

Third, the movie showed respect for his character in that he got out of the limo and went to tell her what a good person she is and everything will be OK, or whatever the hell he told her at the end.

Fourth, guys are assholes. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[Zeno]

I saw this movie also and agree with your assessment. On some things we think very much alike. I leave it to you whether this unpleasant fact is good or bad.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie and thought it was well done, not bad for a redneck from the backwoods of Oregon.

[ QUOTE ]
Fourth, guys are assholes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Part of this is necessary (or was necessary) from an evolutionary/biological standpoint. The species must perpetuate itself. Self-replication is part of our make up and genetic code.

I would like to think that he told her that he had too much love and respect for her to have sex with her - that she had a whole life in front of her - he did not want to ruin her chances for it to be an enjoyable and fulfilling one with the person she chose.


-Zeno

[daryn]

by the way bill murray definitely is the best actor in the world at playing "the jerk". just refer to kingpin!

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
First of all, Murray was the worldiwise one, the jaded been-there-done-that middle-aged movie star. Of course he's going to be the jerk, as opposed to the young thing on her first (?) trip to Asia.

[/ QUOTE ]

True, but it 'always' seems to happen that way as far as making the guy look even worse. I thought she had a good character, but i didnt feel any sympathy for her being in the situation she created herself. Obviously married too young before experiencing enough of life, and to the wrong guy.

[ QUOTE ]
Second, it seemed to me she was the one who wanted to take the relationship horizontal and he showed no interest in it, because he had too much respect for her as a person (as opposed to the floozie he eneded up with).

[/ QUOTE ]

I dug how he treated her. I thought that was kinda cool.

Maybe it's because i have a problem with infidelity in a marriage/committed relationship (non marriage). It'd be nice to see it once not have to happen. Where a guy that thoughtful of this young gal, is also thoughtful of his wife enough to at least end it if he's going to cheat for whatever reason. The fact he was so good to the girl yet did something that would devastate his wife didnt really mix with the character for me.

[ QUOTE ]
Fourth, guys are assholes

[/ QUOTE ]

And women love us for it. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

b

[andyfox]

Murray's character was a mixture of good and bad. He was a famous actor, but he was making $2,000,000 to do a commercial, rather than acting in a play. He was good to the young girl, but held his wife in disdain; he was disgusted every time she called him (loved his phone ring, Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu) and when she sent him the color sample for the carpeting (?), that was pretty funny, the look on his face as they fell out of the fedex package.

But I agree that the movie was overrated. I didn't see The Girl With The Pearl Earring, I'm told Scarlett Johannson was stunning in that.

[andyfox]

He definitely had my favorite hair-do in Kingpin. /images/graemlins/smile.gif