Quality not quantity

Rating: Null/10 (11 April 2004)

Looking at the other IMDB reviews, I was not surprised. This movie is most definitely not for everyone. I sat down to watch it with around 5 people and wound up watching the ending alone, the complaint always being about the lack of a plot.
The premise of the movie is as follows: Murray, a movie legend, is alone in Tokyo shooting a bunch of commercials. Johansson, a Yale graduate in Philosophy, is accompanying her photographer husband also in Tokyo. Both of them have lost their direction in life and as such have grown tired of it. Yet, after meeting each other, they discover Japan together and ultimately find they have something to offer the other.
The brilliance of this movie lies in the stereotypical but suitable proverb "Quality not quantity", and this in terms of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson's actions. Yes, not a whole lot happens most of the time. This, though, makes the fact that Murray and Johansson's unique relationship blossoms as the movie progresses all the more surprising. While viewing the ending, the viewer is struck by just how much Murray and Johansson mean to one another.
The joy in watching this movie lies not in its plot, but rather in the relationship between Murray and Johannson. Watch the movie with this in mind and you should have an amazing experience.