Lost In Sleep

Rating: Null/10 (16 September 2005)

I've seen Lost In Translation twice and liked it a little better the second time although I don't think I'd watch it a third. The first time I thought it was slow as a turtle with a bum leg. The second time I thought it was slow as a turtle with 4 good legs. This doesn't make it bad. But if you are in a nervous mood you might not be able to sit through the movie.
Bill Murray is, as usual, Bill Murray. I like Murray but after all, let's be real, he always is the same character. This role suits him though. He's a famous movie star in Tokyo to film a commercial for whiskey. He's staying in a luxury hotel and he can't sleep. He runs into young Scarlett Johansson who is in Japan with her photographer husband. Murray and Johansson hang out together for a few days and get to know each other.
There are some "bring a little smile to your face" moments such as the shot of tall Murray in an elevator full of short Japanese businessmen.
You do get to see some of Tokyo and Japan and those scenes are interesting, like a travelogue. There are some funny scenes: Murray is a guest on an insane TV show and another when a whore is sent up to his room.
Scarlett Johansson is lovingly photographed by director Sofia Coppola who chooses to show her in her underwear a lot. In fact, the opening scene lingers on her derrière. Scarlett has the fullest lips since Angelina Jolie.
What's the movie all about? It's definitely a love story and I don't know what the ending meant, but then obviously director Coppola didn't either.
This movie is rated R and I don't know why. There's nothing R about it.