Stop trying to impress me.

Rating: 1/10 (26 June 2005)

Rehash the overused devices of Fellini, the French new wave and the American indie scene, add a veteran actor and an up-and-coming actress, both trying to build their indie credibility, throw in some classic indie rock anthems (so you can have a soundtrack the kids will buy) and you have Lost in Translation. Or is it The Royal Tenenbaums? Or The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? I can't remember... they were all the same to me. The problem I have with Lost in Translation, is not the lack of plot or dialog (I enjoy many plot less movies), rather the contempt for its audience. Movies are made to entertain, not to prove your hipness. Sadly, it seems, many of the "independent" American filmmakers seem to have forgotten this. I wanted to like Lost in Translation, really, I did. When it comes down to it, though, I could barely make it through the movie. Nothing made me sympathetic towards the characters. Nothing kept my interest. The acting is decent, the cinematography is beautiful--but there's no hook, merely a line cast out with Sofia Coppola sitting on the other end, waiting to reel in the complements. If you truly enjoyed this movie, watch old French movies (Godard, Truffaut, Hiroshima Mon Amour, M. Hulot, et al.) Watch Fellini movies. Watch American indie movies (Jim Jarmusch, John Cassavettes, etc. etc.) Then try to convince me what a great movie Lost in Translation is, if you still can.