Brilliant!

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2005)

I usually hate it when I see someone give something a perfect review. Let's face it, most people who do so are what videogamers call "fanboys". Maybe I am guilty of this in regards to this movie, but I simply can't help it. This movie is absolutely brilliant. I have never seen a better portrayal of a "slice of life." But this movie is so much more. The fact that Bill Murray was beaten at the Oscars is mere politics. He was clearly the better actor. While this is only Ms. Coppola's second venture into directing, it is nothing short of amazing and visionary.
What first struck me about the film was the amazing cinematography. The visuals of Tokyo in the second scene are breathtaking. And they don't stop there. The visual flair of this film does such a wonderful job of making you feel right at home in this almost alien existence. Japan is vastly different from the United States and as told in the story, so is it told in the imagery.
As for the story, again brilliant. This story is solely told in the characters. These are real people and not cookie cutter performances. You believe their portrayals and find some kind of understanding with them. You can empathize with both Bob Harris (Bill Murrary) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansen) in many ways. If nothing else, you at least get a sense of what it must feel like to be foreigners in such a different world. Beyond that, these are real people who have real problems. And with that, we feel close to them and feel their anxieties. Don't expect to get some kind of closure or big happy ending. This movie ends things like they end in real life. It isn't a tragedy, it isn't cathartic. It just ends.
I only wish this film would have come out in a different year. For it to be up against such fierce competition for 2003 was totally unfair. This movie was a sleeper hit and with the build up of the "Lord of the Rings" over three years, it was almost unfair to pit it up against such a mammoth undertaking. Regaurdless, as a film, this is the better of the two (or all of the Oscar picks for that matter). I cannot recommend this movie enough. But if this is a sign of things to come from Ms. Coppola, we have a great deal to look forward to.