Misunderstood by too many.

Rating: Null/10 (19 October 2003)

I just saw Lost in Translation. I realize it's not quite so newsworthy anymore, but it was for me. Anyway, I've read a lot of reviews on this movie saying that it was either boring or racist.
To address the "it's boring" faction:
This movie is far from boring. It does have an arc. It is complex. It is about two people falling in love, two people who legitimately have problems understanding their own feelings because to do so would risk a lot. It's a love story that's, I don't want to say more realistic than others, but it's definitely unique and definitely fresh. The chemistry between Johansson and Murray is excellent, and also not far-fetched. They interact in the way they could interact. To say that not much happens in this movie is basically to say that you like idiot explosion movies. If this movie is considered too slow, I really worry about the effect MTV has had on my fellow generation members. And as far as the people who think the female lead is flat somehow, I assure you as a recent Yale grad moving to the real world and trying to figure out what to do now, the character is absurdly realistic. So realistic in fact that I'm sure Sofia Coppola knows people who had similar experiences. And I'm sure it's largely based on her own experiences, though that really doesn't matter anyway.
To address the "it's racist" sector:
This movie is not inherently racist. The fact that Bill Murray's character makes ethnic jokes and the fact that Japan is bewildering to two people who don't speak the language and don't really have any Japanese friends isn't far off. Does a movie with "racist" characters become a "racist" movie? I hope the answer is obvious. Why do people always expect a message from critically acclaimed movies? And when they see it and find characters unsavory, why do they say the movie has a bad message? Why can't people just realize that a good movie has well-developed characters who react in an interesting way? Is it so baffling that someone would rave about Lost in Translation when the sort of movie I've just mentioned is so rare as to only come around once every couple of years? It's just an honest movie. It's not flashy, and the director isn't trying to make you think she's really cool or hip. This movie doesn't have an ethnic agenda, so I urge the detractors to get over it. If you want to make a movie with an ethnic agenda go ahead, but it will probably suck.