A fresh new look at boredom...maybe

Rating: 6/10 (4 October 2003)

Spoiler Warning (if that is possible for a movie without a plot)
In the world of art films, novelty is everything. So what's fresh and new? How about boredom? Lost in Translation explores the world of exquisite boredom with an ironic twist -- Tokyo is superficially exciting -- bright lights, animated people -- but to our out of place American visitors Bob and Charlotte, it is just so ho-hum. Unfortunately, Coppola's treatment of the subject is too effective -- by the time the movie hits its stride when Bob and Charlotte go out for karaoke, you just want to scream to break the boredom yourself. It languishes in meaningless scenes that drag on forever. It revels in the complete absence of a plot. The second half is sheer agony, engaging only in getting you to hope something will happen, while reassuring you that it would not betray you that way. Still, in two scenes toward the end I was disappointed. Bob had meaningless sex, perhaps just to emphasize his boredom and the pointlessness of everything, and Charlotte suavely glosses over it as if it couldn't make any difference. But instead of ampifying the boredom, I found it to be achingly trite. Finally, in an absurd ending that I hope was just the Hollywood ending and not the director's intent, Bob finds Charlotte in a crowded Tokyo street moments after abandoning her at the hotel (which incidentally breaks the laws of physics), and ends their relationship with a heartfelt hug. That scene really let the wind out of the sails for this movie, giving it the happy ending that just kills the energy of inertia it strove so hard to create.

My rating -- 3 points for creative and even inspired photography and directing, 1 star for Johansson (Charlotte), and 2 stars for Murray -- 6 out of 10 in all -- and I'm giving it every possible break. Murray is definitely the film's greatest asset, a brilliant performance -- without him we would never have been able to withstand the boredom at all. How could they have gotten the other 4 out of 10 -- well, maybe people unfamiliar with borerom and meaningless will find it refreshing, but to me a slice-of-life show is exactly what it's cracked up to be -- boring. I'd recommend getting a plot next time, and working on dialog. Yes, Coppola is a very promising director, but that alone does not make this a great film. You want a great 10/10 art film, just go see Swimming Pool.