Sleeping in Tokyo

Rating: 5/10 (9 July 2004)

Ordinarily, I wouldn't spend the time to write a negative review; however, I felt compelled when I decided to rent this movie based on the blurb "over 80 4-star reviews!!!".
Look, this is just an extremely dull version of American Beauty. You're trapped in Reality TV Tokyo, only it's not really real because of the silly stereotype of the Japanese. And there's the problem with a story not really existing, with the audience just waiting for the next actually engaging conversation to occur.
***SPOILERS****** Somebody said Bob and Charlotte were "soulmates" and had so much more in common with each other than anyone else in the movie. That conclusion matches the same gullible believe that Charlotte had about Bob. How could somebody like Charlotte, who hasn't even experienced life yet, share the same bedraggled opinion of life that Bob has? She is only an interesting youthful diversion to him, certainly not "what could have been if only a different time." As the movie progresses he seems to fall into a stupor around her, and ultimately reveals his hopeless condition, and lack of genuine affection for their friendship, by sleeping with the lounge singer.
You're left wondering what really happened in this movie...reinforced with Bob's unintelligible whispering in her ear at the end.