A touching and funny drama

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2004)

I usually like movies with what I call "intesity." This can come in many forms: action like in John Woo's films, terror like in Alien, or just intense drama like Summer of Sam or 21 Grams. In all those films there is something that constantly grabs you and provides and unrelenting urge to continue watching.
This film has no intensity at all. Not one bit. It is a quiet and relaxed film. And I LOVED IT. The acting is top-notch, both from Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, the direction and cinematography is great, but it is the script that is the real winner. So rarely does a script come along and just shows the viewer into a character's heart and feeling.

The story centers around Bob and Charlotte. The former an actor who used to be known and is now deciding what to do with his life. The latter a newly married college graduate who is now deciding what to do with her life. Simply put they are lost. Bob's career seems uncertain, and Charlotte is uncertain what her husband doing when he leaves to go to work for long hours. The backdrop of Tokyo works beautifully with the story as the Bob and Charlotte are truly lost. A culture they don't yet fully understand and a life that seems like it has nowhere and everywhere to go at the same time.
In the end, Bob and Charlotte understand one another. They don't realize they like the same kind of music or anything, but they, in a completely foreign land, they leave with a greater understanding of who they are and what they need to do. Never has such a simple realization of two people been put so beautifully on screen.
This film touched my soft spot and you can bet it will touch yours. 10/10