Transcends its initial culture clash comic riffs to evolve into something altogether more moving by the end. As a result, it's a work of considerable power and pathos.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:214
Fresh:203
Rotten:11
Average Rating:8.4/10
Consensus: Murray gives one of his best performances in this expertly crafted mood piece.
Theatrical Release:09-01-2004
Synopsis: Sofia Coppola's second feature-length film focuses on two guests at a Tokyo hotel--Bob (Bill Murray), a middle-aged actor in town to film whiskey commercials, and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson),... Sofia Coppola's second feature-length film focuses on two guests at a Tokyo hotel--Bob (Bill Murray), a middle-aged actor in town to film whiskey commercials, and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), the young wife of a trendy photographer (Giovanni Ribisi) who is always out on a shoot. When Bob isn't on the job taking fragmented direction from the Japanese crew, he's receiving faxes on home decorating from his emotionally distant wife. And while her husband is away, Charlotte spends most of her time trying to motivate herself to do more than look out the window at Tokyo's urban sprawl. So when the two meet in the hotel bar, they strike up an unusual friendship, one that provides a welcome escape from their boredom and loneliness. With LOST IN TRANSLATION, Coppola cements her reputation as a thoughtful and inventive filmmaker. Every element of the movie is pitch-perfect, from the dreamy, atmospheric score to the expertly timed editing to the lingering shots of the characters and the city. Most importantly, Coppola's minimalist script allows Murray and Johansson to give astonishingly moving yet subtle performances as people who are lost in the limbo of a foreign country, but find each other for comfort and companionship. Both heartbreakingly sad and hilariously funny, Coppola's LOST IN TRANSLATION is that rare movie in which everything is in its right place. [More]
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, Fumihiro Hayashi, Yutaka Tadokoro
Director: Sofia Coppola
Director: Sofia Coppola
Screenwriter: Sofia Coppola
Producer: Sofia Coppola, Ross Katz
Studio: Focus Features
Reviews for Lost in Translation
So far as the central relationship goes, the film is almost European in its subtlety and nuance. Cinematic cherry blossom.
The movie should have been a masterpiece of mood and character, and it almost is, revolving as it does around two wonderful performances.
'There is a pronounced bitchiness about the film that sits oddly with the gentle subject matter.'
Bill Murray is one of the greatest, least ingratiating comic actors at work today: appropriately enough he once played a modern version of Scrooge.
There's not a word or a wistful glance out of place in Sofia Coppola's offbeat comedy drama.
A thoughtful, moving film that's a pure delight from beginning to end.
There's an almost ethereal rawness to this film that gets way under the skin.
...a deceptively simple study in unrequited attraction that succeeds in spite of minor problems with neglected sub-plots.
Lost in Translation revels in contradictions. It's a comedy about melancholy, a romance without consummation, a travelogue that rarely hits the road.
Very much a mood piece, the film's deft balance of humor and poignancy makes it both a pleasurable and melancholy experience.
With this film it becomes clear that Sofia Coppola is a filmmaker with eyes all her own.
Working this time with her own story, Coppola lets it relax and breathe, devoting herself to moods and moments.
This is another step in Mr. Murray's career and one that hopefully gets him the recognition he deserves.
Alternately laugh-out-loud silly and profoundly moving, kudos to Sofia Coppola for managing to capture an undeniable chemistry between Murray and his 18 year-old co-star, despite a certain asexuality.
While Sofia Coppola's debut was based on a well-received novel, her accomplished sophomore effort is a personal film based on her own experience. The melancholy film benfits from strong chemistry between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
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