Walk, Don't Run To See This

Rating: 7/10 (18 September 2003)

"Lost In Translation" got a lot of good critical buzz (including last week's LA Weekly cover), so I rushed out to see it. It wasn't that good. It had its moments, but it wasn't very memorable. I'm not sure why critics were falling all over each other to praise it. Bill Murray is funny in a very subdued way, and Scarlett Johansson is pretty and charming throughout. Nevertheless, "Groundhog Day" still remains Murray's best performance, and "Ghost World" is still Johansson's.
Sofia Coppola directs the film quite skillfully, but the problem is her script. The relationship between Murray and Johansson just isn't that interesting, and rather contrived. The "cultural differences" they run into don't resonate very much, if anything, Tokyo comes across as much too capitalistic and westernized. I didn't find anything particularly memorable about this film, but it is entertaining and fun to watch. For fluffy entertainment value, I give it 7 out of 10.