Seriously flawed

Rating: 6/10 (30 March 2006)

I like the understated, quiet feel of the film and the story line, and thought Sophia Coppola did a good job as director. But for me, the film was seriously flawed on 2 counts. One of these is Bill Murray's lacklustre acting. Some people who liked the film saw a middle-aged has-been actor who has nothing to look forward to except waning years of mundane domesticity, but all I saw was someone who fell asleep in his role, a fact that even the technique of the camera zooming in to show disaffectedness couldn't save. To me, his character just did not come through. By contrast, Scarlett Johansson's subtle, textured performance delivered the goods. From her, you do really get the sense of someone who feels lost in her own life, not just in Tokyo. The other problem with the film is the caricaturisation of the Japanese as little people who spoke funny. There's absolutely nothing intelligent about that.