You'll see it because you love Bill Murray. But somewhere about halfway through you'll realize that you're watching something much more than a dramatic vehicle for Hollywood's clown prince.
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
Baubles of humor, gorgeous shots of the city and sparse use of dialogue relay the warm tale, as Johansson and Murray gracefully embrace the concept.
Absolutely one of the funniest films of the year, and also one of the most deeply sad
Coppola's mood-setting is pitch-perfect ... to be lost and alone in a strange place, full of strangers, feeling kind of sad and wistful.
'Lost in Translation' is like a beautiful short story - low-key, smart, direct and, in its own distinct way, close to perfection.
The details, which flow like a simple string of pearls, are what make the movie endearing from start to finish.
If there were any doubts left as to Ms. Coppola's abilities [as a filmmaker]... "Lost in Translation" should smash down the snickering walls of her doubters once and for all.
Coppola is a master of moments and details, and here they add up to a story that is beautifully bittersweet.
Lightweight and a bit of a let-down, Sofia Coppola's follow-up to the marvelous Virgin Suicides is nevertheless an interesting development in what's shaping up to be an interesting career.
One of the purest and simplest examples ever of a director falling in love with her star's gifts.
Because it lacks focus, as well as confidence in its story and stars, 'Lost in Translation' squanders a good opportunity.
The joys of Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation come from watching Murray modify his trademark passive- aggressive style into played-straight comic bewilderment -- and to marvel at his slim new picture- of-health appearance.
It's certainly edgier, smarter, than much of what passes for culture-clash comedy these days, even if the phlegmatic Murray sometimes resembles every Ugly American abroad, mocking waiters and sushi chefs who struggle to get his deadpan humor.
This is one of the year’s most subtly moving films, and a strong affirmation of Coppola’s substantial talent.
Remarkably sophisticated, honest, consistently hilarious and very real.
Mysterious and complex, as it muses bittersweetly on marriage, longing and the disconnectedness one can feel from another culture or people.
Though the year is 2003 and the world is, in so many ways, at its smallest ... we are, this extraordinary new movie reminds us, ever more diffused, ever less able to make meaningful connections.
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