Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Coppola - perfect combination

Rating: 9/10 (24 March 2010)

Bill Murray's best performance, Scarlett Johansson's debut to fame and equally brilliant performance and Sofia Coppola's top notch and unique directing really make this movie worthwhile. I was mostly impressed with Sofia's directing, camera angles and truly breathtaking and brilliant screenplay. It's not very often you get shots as good as these in movies.
This is a story about two people, an old, washed up actor Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a twenty-five year old woman, Charlotte, (Scarlett Johansson) both in Tokyo in the same luxurious hotel. Bob is being payed 2 million dollars for a commercial and photo shoot to promote his whiskey, when he could be at home with his wife and kids doing a play, while Charlotte has been dragged along by her husband who is mostly away on business doing celebrity photographing. When they both meet, they click immediately. They both explore and try to fit in with the Japanese culture and mingle with friends of Charlotte's.
With a huge gap of age difference and both of them married (though Bob is somewhat estranged from his wife and kids) they form a relationship that is much stronger than physical aspects. They share a mutual understanding of the confusion of both their private lives and the difficulty of trying to adapt themselves to a foreign place.
A young woman trying to find her place in life and an older man past his prime, looking for something he used to have. Many people can relate to these characters, and that's what I love about movies. You feel the realness of their situations. This film is like American Beauty set in Japan. It lifts you high up from the ground and you'll want to remember the journey, and the message it sends.