A Universal Language

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2005)

This is a great movie, but not perfect. The opening butt scene is unpleasantly inscrutable...what's that all about? I'm all for abstraction, butt not for it's own sake. I sense that Sophia Coppola stuck that in just because she could. It makes no sense and is thus offensive- not morally- logically.
My other criticism is that the night on the town scene was about 10 minutes toooo long. We get the point, already. It's a wild and crazy town and Americans are disharmonious with it. Out of tune, out of sync.
Charlotte and Bob are also out of sync within their own lives. The external mis-fit reflects their internal mis-fit. They are both lost in translation within as well as without.
All of which has nada to do with the introductory butt. Sorry, I can't get past that one.
The Japanese people were not stereotyped or maligned. They were depicted as vibrant, accepting of Americans, welcoming, and simply dancing to the beat of a way different drummer. They were not even offended at being viewed sideways by two jaded foreigners in their midst. I wonder if Americans would have been as polite if the circumstances were reversed.
I loved the hilarious touches woven throughout the film, the tuxedo clips and the "lip my stockings" will stay with me for a long time. And forget about Nordic skiing! This is a wonderful film that flows two disparate cultures and people in somewhat the same direction, touching but not touching, connecting but not connecting, lovely but lonely.
Sans the butt, this would have been a 10 for me.