Tokyo looks great, but the movie is show-biz navel-gazing

Rating: 4/10 (25 November 2003)

My one-line summary says it all.
Whenever the scene was outdoors in Tokyo, I was riveted. I wish the film were like Koyaanisqatsi, and just showed people moving about the city accompanied by awe-inspiring music. But it wasn't. And it's fun to see Bill Murray amble about desolutely. But only up to a point. There was only one plot of any substance--the storyline between the girl and the actor--and that plot moved incrementally. The movie unspooled painlessly for the tiny audience watching it on a Saturday night in a midtown movie theater, but somehow one wanted more. The big shock for me is that it was so highly rated by IMDB voters--either there is vote-rigging going on, or I'm missing something profound. And I don't think I'm missing anything profound.
So, Ms. Coppola and her Hollywood buddies went off to Tokyo, drank a lot, and pondered the meaning of life, and tried to figure out who they really are. I think that's what happened. One of the buddies was a good cinematographer, although a bit unsteady with the hand-held camera. They got to stay in a really nice hotel, which let them film in the facility.
Don't believe the high rankings for this film. It's a stinker.