A Remarkable Film That Says A Lot.

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2007)

I enjoy Bill Murray's acting. Loved him in Ghostbusters, and thought his turn in Groundhog Day was a real growth of his acting skills. I never got around to seeing "Lost in Translation" until recently, and after viewing it, I shouldn't have missed it the first time around.
Not everyone is going to get this film. Starring Bill Murray, one might expect it to be a comedy or for him to pull some of his wacky, sarcastic hi-jinks. In the film, he's portrayed as bitter, weary and just very alone. It's not that his character (Bob) comes off as a jerk, it's more that his life has become mundane and uninspiring, and he's simply going through a routine with his marriage, his career, his life... knowing exactly what to expect. This is one of the deepest and most low-key performance yet from Murray.
The same applies to the younger Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a wife who is also basically alone, even though her husband is more or less around, much like herself and her role in the marriage. Despite the age differences, Bob and Charlotte strike up a friendship, and give each other a chance to sample some living.
It's not exactly a romantic film. There's an unspoken feeling of love or attraction, but it focuses more on the friendship aspect. The connection of having someone around who actually "gets" the other, or at least makes an attempt to listen past previously deaf words. The film focuses a lot on the isolation and loneliness of the two characters at different stages in their lives, but each character seems to want more out of their daily routines, and can't seem to find it anywhere else than with each other. You feel for the two characters trying to maintain their roles versus trying to make themselves aware of their own lives again.
Outside of the story, the movie has great cinematography and dialogue, both realistic and humorous. It's not a depressing twist on the "mid-life crisis" fable. It just makes one think, especially for those who have felt like they've been in a rut themselves. It reminds that wanting to change a routine either takes a lot of work, or to simply try something different. And for those who need a tight sense of "conclusion" at the end of a film, it's not going to be found here.
*SPOILER* There are a lot of things that could be interpreted from the ending, but my own thoughts tell me the end is perhaps the most realistic scenario, albeit each having been changed for the better from the experience. *END SPOILER*
I read a few of the negative reviews on here, and I don't understand how this film could be viewed as a waste of time. Maybe the story was too slow paced, or Bill Murray wasn't zany enough for them. Or it's possible that I found this film at a point in my life where I wanted to hear what it had to say, but this film is well worth the attention and awards it received, and in many respects, I can't even properly describe why this film stood out as much as it did. To watch it is to better understand.
Recommended.