generic

Rating: 6/10 (10 December 2005)

Slow doesn't bother me; I just felt it was too formulaic all the way. There were a lot of things I liked about the film but I didn't think there was much creativity or invention.
The flat dialogue, the shots of La Dolce Vita, the mechanical arrangements of meetings, all gave me the impression of a student film, missing magic or surprise.
I thought there were lots of pretty shots of Scarlett Johanssonn and Japan. I liked how it was intentionally slow and peaceful, even though it struggled to slow down at times.
Unfortunately Bill Murray is not really the action figure. He is a comedian and sometime and ordinary Joe. He just didn't really fit in this role. It would have been easier to change the script to reflect this, than to try to change him. His real personality kept showing through. Scarlett was more convincing, but perhaps due to Murray's personality, she just did a lot of smiling along and did not have real depth.
I felt a little disappointed in the end too. How did he see her walking through town when he just left her at the hotel? The whole film was a buildup and then he just gave her a kiss and that was it. Isn't there more?