Simply Atrocious

Rating: 1/10 (4 February 2004)

This movie is a complete waste of time. I will never get the hour and forty minutes I wasted on this film back. To put it bluntly, this film offers nothing remotely beautiful; in fact, it is unusually ugly. Bill Murray's character is grotesque; he is a pathetic middle aged man, who seeks merely sensual pleasure to make up for his lack of personality. Scarlett Johannson plays an unlikeable moron, who idiotically visits some of the most beautiful site in Japan, yet feels absolutely nothing because she is too self-centered. The film shows two Americans having trouble relating to Japanese culture, perhaps this is because Japan IS A DIFFERENT CULTURE!!!! This film could have taken place in any country that doesn't speak English and the same feeling of isolation would have been prevalant. Coppola tries to show the main characters dependency and affection for each other, yet neither of the characters are likable enough to care about. The film merely shows a highly focused (and a little ethnocentric) view of Japanese culture, without giving any credit to the powerful and intricate history of the country. I loved the Virgin Suicides, but this film lacked the creativity and depth that I expected. This movie was cold, barren and bereft of passion. BEWARE!
1/10
*The only redeeming quality of this film was the fantastic soundtrack. Air is great.