A beautiful, heart-warming film

Rating: 9/10 (28 June 2004)

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW**
Lost In Translation is one of those films that I appreciated more, the more I watched. I wasn't liking it much in the beginning; I felt it was slow and just a bit too artsy and weird (by weird I'm referring to the eccentric, 'colorful', disjointed Tokyo setting) to really like it. I almost felt like Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) felt as I was watching LIT... suffering from major culture shock, not being able to settle into things initially. But as the film progressed I was drawn more and more into the characters, the story and its settings.
The subtle growth of the connection between Bob and Charlotte was just beautiful to witness, and acted WONDERFULLY by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. Murray's performance has to be the most subtle, quiet Oscar-nominated performance I've ever watched. The way he was able to express himself, not verbally but visually with his facial expressions and mannerisms, was evidence of the true talent he has as an actor. I felt Johansson should've been recognized with an Oscar nod for her great work here as well...she was excellent alongside Murray; they made the perfect couple on-screen. The ending was perfect for the film; I knew they couldn't get together in the end, but for all that they went through during their time in Tokyo I at least wanted Bob and Charlotte to acknowledge what they had. I wanted them to give themselves closure to the time they spent together, and how much they really meant to one another, and they did that. It was a very romantic and heart-warming ending, and was very fitting for the film; in my opinion, any other ending would've hurt the movie.
In regards to LIT winning an Oscar for Best Screenplay, I really can't see why it won. There was some great dialogue spoken between Bob and Charlotte, particularly when they were on the bed together, but almost half of the film was in Japanese! The screenplay just didn't jump out at me the way past winners (i.e. Usual Suspects) did. I won't be suprised if Japanese people were a bit upset at how they were portrayed here; they really came off as warped & spaced-out. I know better than to let a movie tell me how a culture is, but I couldn't help but ask myself if that's really how things are in Tokyo.
Lost In Translation is a beautiful film, and worth the fame and praise it got. Kudos to Bill Murray and the beautiful Scarlett Johansson for their EXCELLENT performances. For me, LIT is a film that will not be forgotten anytime soon. Truly a heart-warming (can't describe it any other way), memorable experience that will be cherished for a long time.
***1/2 out of **** stars.