For relaxing times. Make it Suntory time.

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2005)

At first viewing you'd think the scenes were put together arbitrarily. Lost In Translation demands a second viewing to fully appreciate how Sofia Coppola makes the movie actually live up to it's title. There is indeed cohesion of scenes, if only just merely referencing something earlier as opposed to the standard blatant foreshadowing and payoffs. Such as the smile at the elevator. And Charlotte, when she was all by herself really did bang her toe up hard. All I'm saying is that the cohesion is very subdued, and you don't exactly get the KILLER SHARK feel of the story moving forward. You'll get the impression that the way Sofia tells the story is rather frivolous but it's not. Bob's character arc bends 180 degrees when he DOES want to stay to be with the Johnny Carson of Japan guy. I don't wanna spoil anything but you'll know why this character arc surfaces when you watch the film. And there is still the conflict in each scene - and Bob's relationship with his wife comes to the apex of bitterness in a bathtub scene later in the movie. Speaking of bitterness, Charlotte becomes this way a little later in the film when something unexpected happens. "I guess you're busy", Charlotte says that's all I'm gonna give a way as a hint to what I'm talking about.
Sofia Coppola does know what she's doing and after what she has put you through with the rest of the film, the ending ultimately becomes a depressing payoff. As Bob regains level headedness and his arc has gone to a complete 360. And despite this praise I am giving Coppola - know that the way she writes narrative on page she was criticized for her work reading like that of a first year film student. But I guess the technicalities of the page in the screen writing craft don't matter, it's ultimately the execution and how you pull off your sleight of hand when you tell the story. I said a depressing payoff - but yes the payoff this similar reaction Coppola has also managed to do in her movie THE VIRGIN SUICIDES where the ending is spilled at the beginning but when you get to it, you feel like you've been riding a vehicle that hit a hard sudden brake. I guess that's skill from the writer-director. And in those moments where Bob and Charlotte are happy-go-lucky, we as the audience would love to unwind as we have been put under pressure earlier exempli gratia Bob having to go through that irritating shoot of the commercial Suntory Time or Charlotte just really lost and bitter as she confides with someone in the telephone with some tears.
I reiterate, you must reserve judgment - something I have failed to do until two or three viewings. Ultimately, what you will think of this movie's subdued acting, and storytelling is subjective but as the saying goes you truly haven't seen a film unless you've seen it three times. Is this one of the movie's failures because it didn't manage to hit me hard on first viewing? If it is, then this doesn't deserve the recognition it got in the Oscars. But NO. No, in my opinion Lost in Translation isn't overrated.
A-