Don't blame the translation

Rating: 4/10 (5 July 2006)

This is ultimately a fairly objectionable movie. It offers vacuousness poorly disguised as profundity, and stereotype poorly disguised as cultural commentary. The characters may be realistic in their emptiness, but I doubt this was the filmmakers' intention. The title itself seems to try to offer an excuse for the film's vacuousness; an excuse that seemed to pay off in terms of popular and critical praise. The film is not exactly boring, since it does keep you waiting for some insight or emotional pull, which is unfortunately never forthcoming. Scarlett Johansson is gorgeous (and talented), though, and fortunately usually does a better job in selecting roles.