The more you are sure what you want to be.........

Rating: Null/10 (15 September 2003)

Bill Murray is my main man. I dig him. There are only so many actors in this pathetic world that I will go see EVERY film they've been in. Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell are a few others on the select list. I'm not quite sure what Bill is doing in films like Charlie's Angels, or the upcoming Garfield (is it wrong to judge a film before it comes out?) but I'm glad he balances his meaningless Hollywood dribble with things like Lost in Translation, the sophomore effort from Sofia Coppola, after the delightful debut The Virgin Suicides.
Lost in Translation, in a sense, contains very positive aspects reminiscent of two of my favorite films from last year: About Schmidt and the best film of last year, Punch-drunk Love. Like Punch-drunk Love, Lost in Translation stars a former Saturday Night Live star (PDL- Adam Sandler; LIT- Bill Murray) in a dramedy about the loving connection two people have. Like About Schmidt, Lost in Translation tackles issues about life, aging and remorse in a very slow, simplistic fashion. Plot is not the central point of Lost in Translation: it is about the characters and their interactions.

I have always enjoyed the dry witticisms of Bill Murray. Like what Punch-drunk Love did for Adam Sandler, this film epitomizes Bill Murray's body of work. This has got to be the funniest Murray performance since Groundhog Day I kid you not. Murray shifts from self-loathing, sarcasm, shock and sadness within minutes of each other, sometimes with the simple use of his eyes and his tone of voice. What would Murray be without a strong female actress to carry the torch of the film with him? Scarlett Johansson has been good in great films before (Ghost World, The Man Who Wasn't There) but this performance blows those supporting roles away. She is quite possibly better than Murray though it is hard to compare such unique and wonderful jobs. Her role is more difficult than Murray, in that we forget about Scarlett the actress and think only of Charlotte. Bill Murray plays a serious, touching Bill Murray, but he's still zeikjesus good.

The true master behind the film is Sofia Coppola. Not since Tarantino has a second directorial effort been so outstanding. She achieves what most filmmakers strive to do (and if they don't strive- they surely should). Coppola infuses her plot with extremely personal elements that make this film semi-autobiographical. The viewpoint of Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is very much the same exact viewpoint Coppola shares. When watching a film, it's always helpful to see what point the director was in their life while making the picture. For instance, look at the works of Polanski directly following the murder of his wife. Watch Chinatown and Macbeth. In the case of Coppola, we learn much about her and Charlotte by reading simply into what is going on in Coppola's life. Then the question is: who is Sofia's Bob Harris (Bill Murray)? Is there a Bob Harris?
Charlotte and Bob Harris have a connection. It is a brief friendship, completely platonic, above the means of sexuality. They love each, perhaps, but a sexual consummation would only lower the film to being nothing more than an oddball romantic comedy. Coppola is smarter than that. These are two characters, through ten days in Tokyo, are able to understand and appreciate one another. Is it short? Yes. Is it no less meaningful? No. It is almost tragic when these two persons leave the film to rejoin their separate paths and the lights go up in the theatre. It is poignant yet depressing in the end. Life's problems cannot be resolved in a simple movie, no matter how hard we try. I was pleased the filmmakers here were aware of that. Little things like Bill Murray gently placing his hand on the sleeping Scarlett Johansson's foot make up this film. THAT is the true essence of the film. Cute particulars always overcome age differences. Take note.

It has been described as a `postcard' to Japan. While watching the film, you get some truly amazing shots of Tokyo, including a very bizarre sequence in a video arcade. Bill Murray's interaction with the obsequious and the silly Japanese persons is nothing short of pure hilarity. However, I wondered, `Are there no decent Japanese people in Tokyo?' The answer apparently is no. But the movie is not about analyzing and synthesizing with the Japanese. It is about being lost and attempting to find anew. What better way to externalize how lost you are than to be in a truly foreign city, not even knowing why you're exactly there.
Should Lost in Translation be around come Oscar time? Damn well should be. Will it be? If this is a snub, I'm holding a siege on the palace! Hold me to my word, friends. It's on. This film lives up to the buzz and hopefully will avoid the backlash. It is a sweet, character driven piece. Two strong characters, superbly acted, with a subtle, intelligent script and an enticing setting makes Lost in Translation one of the most intelligent films I have seen in a long time. Cheers.