Lost in Production

Rating: 1/10 (27 October 2003)

I came. I saw. I left, feeling nothing.
Lost in Translation almost makes it as an existential film. However, there is absolutely no struggle in the "story," nothing to fight for, and nothing to resolve. The plot of the film is best described as just that: nothing.

The tension that would normally be present between the two characters is nonexistent. The end leaves the viewer wishing that the two would somehow cement their relationship, a feeling which would be perfectly acceptable and appropriate if the point of the movie was "nothing changes." Unfortunately, at the last moment, the two do have a moment, thereby ruining that possible theme.
None of the main characters are incredibly memorable. The acting is good on Murray's part, it's nice to see him in a serious role, but everyone else is expendable. Ribisi and his character seemed out of place, and when he disappears halfway through the movie, one wonders if the film would have been better off if he was never there. None of the cinematography was particularly enthralling; any interesting shots were the simple beauty of Tokyo and the Japanese landscapes. Many of the scenes (the opening titles; the strip bar) seem to have been thrown in by Coppola in an attempt to prove that, as a female director, she is capable of handling female nudity. These scenes are completely random, and have no connection to any other parts of the story.
This film was neither terrible nor brilliant. Not a must see, but not a bore. Not anything at all. Perhaps that was the theme.