A touching, finely crafted film

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2003)

What a wonderful film! One can see that Sophia Coppola is a very fine writer and director and this is just a taste of things to come. I've always been a Bill Murray fan, thinking that under the comedy lay an ability to portray serious roles. He really shone in this film and one can hope he'll go on to do more. Scarlett Johansson was superb as well in the role of Charlotte and we'll no doubt see lot more of her in the future.
But it's the story of the film that shines brightest, giving us a touching portrayal of Bill and Charlotte lost in the shadows of other peoples lives and demands and their attempts to escape them for a while. It deserves at least a nomination for a Golden Globe if not an Academy award for both the film and actors.