Lost in Translation (2003)

LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) / ****

Directed by Sofia Coppola, from her screenplay. Starring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi. Running time: 102 minutes. Rated PG by the MFCB. Reviewed on January 24th, 2004.

By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN

Synopsis: Veteran American actor Bob Harris (Murray) arrives in Tokyo to film a commercial for Japanese audiences. Bob is at a crossroads in his life -- bored with his career and increasingly alienated from his wife. In his hotel, Bob meets Charlotte (Johansson), who is in Japan with her photographer husband John (Ribisi). Unbeknownst to John, Charlotte is losing faith in their nascent marriage. Through lonely, sleepless nights at the hotel, Bob and Charlotte find refuge in each other's company.

Review: Bill Murray is a superior comedian, but his style of humour is so low-key and straight-faced that many of his films have, sadly, failed to take advantage of his talents. So thank god for "Lost In Translation", a movie which can almost be seen as a vindication for Murray and his fans. So good is he here that I can scarcely envisage another actor playing Bob Harris. Murray perfectly captures the sense of ennui which underlies Harris' jovial rapport with his Japanese handlers but also, later, the subtle, renewed enthusiasm which develops in time with his relationship with Charlotte. Yet "Lost In Translation" is no one-trick pony. The luminous Johansson -- so good in both "Ghost World" and "The Man Who Wasn't There" -- matches Murray line-for-line, nuance-for-nuance. In some ways, hers is the more difficult role, because unlike Murray she cannot rely on the audience having a preconceived notion of her character's orientation. Coppola, meanwhile, wisely focusses her attention on the two stars. While there is plenty of fun to be had here in the contrasting of Eastern and Western cultures, for the most part Coppola is content to explore her two protagonists, and let them provide the film's direction. Superficially simple but containing unexpected depths, "Lost In Translation" is easily one of the year's best movies.

Copyright © 2004 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html

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