Caught me by surprise

Rating: 10/10 (19 January 2005)

This was one of those "caught me by surprise" movies. First of all, I had no intention of ever seeing this movie...EVER. The reviews were mixed, most people I know that saw it said it was "boring". In fact, "boring" was the most common word used in describing this movie. Whenever I'd flip through the movie channels I'd catch scenes of the movie and, sure enough, they looked boring. Even though I'm a huge Bill Murray fan, I had absolutely no intention of seeing this movie in its entirety.
Then I got the flu last week.
There I am sitting in bed flipping through channels and absolutely nothing is on...I've already read all the magazines within reach 3 times...then I happen to catch the start of a Cinemax movie. I realize I'm about to watch Lost in Translation and figure, since my Nyquil wasn't working, maybe this would put me to sleep.
All I have to say is that I was immediately immersed in the movie and when it was done and over with, it was like my life had changed. I'm not gonna dwell into a huge review of the movie...let's just say I loved in from every angle...acting, directing, cinematography, etc. What I am going to tell you is that when this movie was over, I felt like I was happy, sad, and somber at the same time. The effect has worn off a bit, but for a while I felt like I was walking 6 inches off the ground. I haven't had a movie affect me like this since I was a teenager and watched Summer of 42 and Edward Scissorhands. Back then, I was young, innocent, and naive. Now, I'm 30 years old and MUCH more cynical and less impressionable. And this movie hit me like a ton of bricks. On the flip side, had I seen Lost In Translation as a youngster, I doubt I'd have made it past the opening sequence...or maybe not.
Here's why the movie worked for me...in a nutshell: When Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssan's characters were together in a scene, you never wanted them to separate...when they weren't together, you wished they would bump into each other again. You felt their comfort and their anticipation.
You may find this movie boring, absurd, and a complete waste of time. But you could also find yourself unable to move, blink, or even breathe...just WISHING you could jump back into their world again...when they were together.