Lost in Translation (2003)

The Worst Film Ever

Lack of good storyline.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Her. Both of these movies have style, themes, or ideas which are similar to that Lost in Translation has. Therefore, either of them would make perfect bittersweet double feature with Lost in Translation. And I loved these two movies so much; however, I have some issues with each one of them.Don't get me wrong; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind's script is more genuine and creative, but the main issue I have with it is that it lost its balance between humor and subtle pathos at some point. Lost in Translation, by contrast, doesn't have this problem. In fact, the perfect balance between humor and melancholy. The movie deals with heavy themes such as loneliness, insomnia, emptiness, existential crisis, and more hefty themes, but nonetheless the movie never feels gloomy or bleak. Actually there are some funny moments due to the movie's smart dialogue that made me laugh many times.As for Her, I think it is a very unique, and has an idiosyncratic style and screenplay, except for its third act. It chose a familiar and conventional way to end its one-of-a-kind story. That didn't just disappointed me, but that also made the movie feels inconsistent near the end. For a moment, I felt that Sofia Coppola would make the same mistake in Lost in Translation. That's because at some point at the third there was a scene that feels if it sets a subplot that would end the movie in a stereotypical way. And I think this was an unnecessary and manipulative. Also, this is the only main issue I have with Lost in Translation. This movie is bittersweet, but its ending is Just Like Honey!Both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson at the top of their games. They may gave their best performances in their respective career. Scarlett Johansson did a great job in playing the Philosophy graduate Charlotte who is twenty-something. I felt she's really at this age. As for Bill Murray, his role is far more complicated, and he just killed it! I've never seen him giving such a powerful serious performance. His character suffers from something like a midlife crisis, and there are many great actors played characters like this before. But Murray's terrific comedic abilities adds to this character, and made it more complex, yet more amiable.Aside from the fact that this movie looks gorgeous, it's exquisitely directed by the talented director, Sofia Coppola. Just try to notice the visual tools, how they work, and utilized, and what they imply. You will find out that Lost in Translation is a well-directed as it's a well-written film, maybe the direction is what deserves the highest praise. Also, the movie is consistent in tone. As I mentioned, the balance between between humor and sadness, and while the smart screenplay has a major in that, the meticulous direction has a role that isn't, by any means, less important. The soundtrack is sweetly hypnotic! This is now one of my favorite soundtracks put in film. The words of every song match the current state in every different phase in the movie.I loved Lost in Translation so much! I can't praise it highly enough, or maybe I can, it's Manhattan of the 21st century!(9/10)

I did better with this movie the second time around. The first time was in the theater upon release and it just didn't strike me as having any relevance at all, which is usually a sign that I might have nodded off from time to time. What we have here is something of a bittersweet but unrequited love story between a late middle aged, has-been actor (Bill Murray) and the twenty-something wife (Scarlett Johansson) of an up and coming photographer on assignment in Tokyo. I say unrequited, but the relationship never really approached physical expression because I believe both parties were well guarded against getting into something that they would ultimately regret. As Charlotte's (Johansson) husband, we almost never see Giovanni Ribisi's face, which lends support to the idea that Charlotte had a marriage in name, but one in which she was not an active participant in. In Bob Harris's (Murray) case, we never even get to see his absent wife, as she's back home tending to the family while Bob's pursuing a paycheck. Watching the film can be an exercise in frustration because nothing much happens, while all the time one wishes that something would. Bob and Charlotte would make an interesting couple if not for the age disparity, or for the fact that their personal commitments lie elsewhere. Writer and director Sofia Coppola cleverly throws that scene into the end of the story where Bob searches out Charlotte in heavy Tokyo traffic for one last good bye, and he whispers a message into her ear that seems to assuage any consternation over his departure. It would be cool to know what he might have said, but better for us that it not get lost in translation.

I bought this movie from Goodwill and two bucks and that is all it is worth. The movie just drags on and on. There are some nice visuals of the Tokyo night life but I didn't feel any connection with Bill Murray or Scarlet Johannson or any of the Japanese characters. Just a boring movie about a bored movie star. I kept fast forwarding through the movie hoping it would have some redeeming qualities, but no.

I love this movie. I watched it again after many years. I still love it. Perhaps my best movie ever. About Love and Life and a little bit about Japan and being lost in translation. It makes me feel so many emotions. I reminds me of my life and a life i never had. Thank you Sofia for making it! Please everyone watch it.