Lost in Translation Review

        Well it’s February again, we’re already one month down and so many movies to discuss. It’s a tradition where I talk about two romantic films to juxtapose a type of romance and love film. The difference being that the romantic one ends with the couple being together, and the love film ending with the couple not being together. In the name of love or some semblance of the sort. To me it’s like a compare/contrast thing and how two movies deal with a breakup and a virgin finally getting a love life. It’s the simplest basis of a story where a movie can do something interesting or creative plot wise. With this one and the next, the connective tissues between them is the creative leads. 

1. Bob and Charlotte 

        I think this is the start in Bill Murray’s filmography where he does something that was unorthodox. For a while, he was mostly a comedy guy in the late 70s and 80s. He made a name for himself with SNL which then prompted him to stardom with his multiple comedy hits. It’s tough to pin down his best one, but the one that most people are familiar with is Ghostbusters. Just to go further but I think this type of film where you have a comedy actor doing something dramatic is interesting. Murray’s not the first, but to me it’s something different where we have a guy not trying to be funny but be dramatic. 

        To begin with, we follow Bob who’s an American actor that’s getting work in Japan. While coming back from a shoot, he spots a young woman among the Japanese. Unbeknownst to him that Charlotte is dealing with an internal crisis of not knowing what to do with her life. Albeit, she’s married but wants something more. One would think that the movie would be seeing Bob try to score on Charlotte in a completely unknown land. Of course not, but I feel that the whole movie succeeds when we follow the unorthodox duo. 

        It’s the slow method of making her laugh since Bob sees her with her husband but not really contributing to a conversation. It’s just crazy to see Anna Ferris in a great film, and I’m not disparaging her in the least bit, but she could fire her agent if she wants. Anyways, from the get go we see that their friendship starts to fully blossom as we see the predicament that both characters go through. Bob is stuck acting for an alcoholic commercial while Charlotte is unable to find some sense of herself. 

        The chemistry between Murray and Scarlett Johansson is the best since it’s such an odd pairing that it doesn’t detract from anything. They just happen to vibe with each other when they’re at the bar and when the duo are exploring Tokyo. All of it is great since it feels realistic when they hang out with Charlotte’s friends as they sing karaoke and getting kicked out a bar just prior. It’s not full debauchery, but one where they get to live their life instead of being constrained with what they do. 

        If you watch all of it, there’s a sense that there’s really no plot when it comes to following Bob and Charlotte. You don’t have the typical moments where they kiss by accident or have a moment where they’re arguing which prompts them to not talk to each other. Even the trope of dumping their loves and embrace each other as the new lovebirds. There’s none of that whatsoever, we do however see that their lives could be better seeing how they’re far away from their actual spouses. I love how the whole point of the film is that they have to better themselves rather than pivot to somebody else. 

        While everything in the movie is great, I should at least mention the last moment in the movie before they say goodbye. It’s one of the film’s single highlight and probably the most talked about in some cinema circles. They hug while Bob whispers something to Charlotte but no amount of words are audible. Not even the subtitles feature anything, I tried. I think the point of the whisper was to echo back from what Bob told Charlotte when she quizzes him on his life. It could be that or something cynical. The whole point is entirely vague since having it be revealed would’ve dampened the movie since it could keep anyone guessing what he said. 

        To me, it makes me think that the film is predominantly about Charlotte’s life. And having Bob to do stuff with her and just to experience some semblance of life and the unorthodox in a place where they’re the seemingly only Anglos among the Japanese. While not entirely framed as such, I feel that it’s like an attempt to have someone enter into someone’s life and teach them somethings about life and experience a sense of normalcy in a mundane life. 

2. Sofia Coppola 

        I talked about her acting way back when I reviewed her Dad’s third Godfather film. Albeir  She’s been crucified enough with the criticism that as a director she’s not bad. Mind you, this is the first time that I ever sat down and watch a movie by her. While not totally artistic or tight like her father, what Sofia is make this idea of cultural displacement interesting with two seemingly ordinary people. And why not of all places Tokyo where everything is like in the U.S. but there’s a huge gap in language. 

        What I really like when talking about her shooting the film is how it just looks. She must’ve gotten some royalty to shoot anywhere in the city without having to close a street down. Like it’s got a real guerilla aspect where we have those moments when the duo are together and when we see them crossing a street while avoiding some cars that have stopped. It has that grit when we follow Charlotte as she visits a temple and exploring the various locales of Tokyo. Not of it feels fake but it feels that Johansson was teleported to see something that she has no idea what’s going on. 

        Lastly, I should at least tease the reason why I picked this film and next week’s film to talk about. It turns out that Coppola had been married to another director, but the marriage was rocky which prompted Sofia to write out the gist of the story. One could say that Sofia made this film to cope with her separation from director Spike Jonze. While he would ultimately make his own film alongside Johansson 10 years later. Both this movie and Jonze’s are like essential to understand how to see their perspective into their separation. 

3. Overall

        Lost in Translation is one of the best romantic films of the 2000s and one of the best films of the decade.