My personal favourite

Rating: 10/10 (7 November 2019)

We follow two people in different stages of life. Their bond grows so strong over the course of this movie, that it feels so real.
For me, this movie hit all the right marks - sentiment, melancholy, sadness, happiness, anger, loneliness and above all, deep, deep love for each other that is more than a sensual hunger.
Charlotte and Bob couldn't have been more perfectly cast - Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray, respectively - and Sofia Coppola knew that well; she wouldn't have made the movie if Bill refused to take the role.
But he accepted and what we ended up with is a nihilistic, romantic story that goes beyond the dialogue. We know the feelings of each character before they meet each other, and it's not hard to relate to them. Are you the young person, striving to be something bigger than yourself but not quite sure exactly what? Or are you the person that's a little fed up with life, slowly and quietly lives it out, seemingly numb to the good things in life?
The brilliant mix of these two types of characters couldn't be expressed better than in a foreign place like Tokyo: lovely, beautiful but confusing and belittling, the perfect background for someone to have their heart on their sleeve. But only those that understand each other - both literally and figuratively - can read each others' heart.
Bob and Charlotte connect quickly when they find out they have a lot in common, such as insomnia because of the jet-lag, a soulmate that seems to have lost their initial soul and their interest in each other, and they decide to explore the city together. Bob is a mentor, while Charlotte is a playmate that lets him appreciate life more than he did before.
Their happiness won't last longer than a few days, because then they'll have to go their own ways again, but with some marvelous experiences to make up for it. This looms over them.
Yes, it's quite a simple love story and not a lot of exciting stuff happens on screen - but what *does* happen is so sincere, so beautiful and detailed, and not to mention, it'll give you the occasional chuckle.
What I might find most interesting about this film is that Bob Harris sounds a lot like Bill Murray and Charlotte is close to Scarlett - the line between acting and real life has, to me, faded so much that it's hard to tell the distinction. Bill Murray used to be a huge hit-actor and hadn't seen as much success around the time this movie was made. Bob Harris is Bill Murray. Charlotte's character is based on Sofia Coppola herself, and Scarlett, despite her young age, moves her character forward with so much grace and relatibility - for me, as a young person - that it's not hard to see why she became as big of an idol as she is these days.
To me, this is my staple movie, the movie that makes me feel everything I want to feel and shows me everything I want to see. I can hardly put it into words. Needless to say, a movie worth watching.