Lost in Translation

Rating: 4/10 (3 September 2008)

The popular Heller novel is brought to the screen with an impressive all-star cast but something must have gotten lost in the translation because this one is painful to watch. Arkin is fine as a flier who tries to have himself declared insane so he doesn't have to fly. In fact, most of the cast is pretty good, with the exception of Balsam and Henry, who are annoying. Henry also gets the blame for the disjointed, rambling screenplay. Nichols has a made a number of good films and one enduring classic, "The Graduate," but when he is off he is infuriating. Here, he is way off, creating a lackluster mixture of uninspired comedy and indulgent, pretentious drama.