An effortless movie and an effortless joy to watch.

Rating: 9/10 (27 August 2019)

Murray and Johansson give two of the most natural performances you will see. Murray who's character could conceivably be autobiographical (and perhaps is why he's so convincing) plays an 80's movie star who's career is on the wane doing some lucrative commercial work. Johansson plays a character who's been married for two years and accompanies her photographer husband on a work trip to Japan.
Both characters are struggling for sleep removed from their time zone. They're struggling with an unfamiliar city and with regret and loneliness. They find solace and kinship and relief in each other.
They are seen sometimes together sometimes apart negotiating life and fun in Tokyo. These moments feel intimate. You as the viewer feel you are there in the moment, just as lost and fascinated as our lead characters.
The pacing is almost soothing, in a bustling environment. The soundtrack is as brilliant and quirky as the city. Tokyo is just as big a star and influence on our enjoyment of this movie.
Though more classically a drama it is at times very funny indeed, albeit with a couple of obvious, if understandable pronunciation gags.
It's warm and layered and mature. It's engaging, it's not forced, it's tonally "just so" and I'm struggling to find anything I don't like about it. Maybe that it's too dreamy, velvety and subtle to properly knock your socks off, but that is the sleepy deprived, twilight world the characters are experiencing.....so that's probably worth a mark up rather than down? NINE