Lost in Translation

Sofia Coppola’s wonderful film, Lost in Translation,” opened today down at the Sequoia Theater in Mill Valley. I went with my mom and dad to the film and enjoyed it very much. It is a very visceral film that heavily incorporates the soundtrack into the film for emotional impact. Bill Murray is Bob Harris, an American movie star that is making a quick buck in Japan by filming whiskey commercials. Scarlett Johansson is Charlotte, newlywed to John (Giovanni Ribisi).

Bill Murray makes this film. He is hilarious because he doesn’t try too hard to make the audience laugh. Instead, he masters the art of playing the down and out broken married man trying to get back on his feet. He meets up with Charlotte in his hotel and the two become friends — a strong romance never really develops between them. I think the lack of an emotional romantic ending was fitting. Charlotte is simply too young for Murray and both of them recognize this fact. Instead, they’re content to being just friends. They find a connection in their loathing of Japan and their disdain for their spouses.

The film has a lot of funny moments, many of which I’ve already forgotten. I’ll have to watch the film again. My favorite scene is when Bob Harris films a whiskey commercial and the director speaks only in Japanese to him. The impressions of the Rat Pack, James Bond, etc. are priceless.

Coppola adds some very subtle but clever elements to the film as well. One of which I noted was the opening title. The title appears at the bottom of the screen much like a subtitle in a foreign language film. Recall that the name of the film is “Lost in Translation.” Also, I wasn’t sure if Sofia was making fun of her brother Roman Coppola through Ribisi’s character, but it is very possible. He is a music video director who makes videos for alternative rock/punk bands such as the Strokes and the Vines. Ribisi had that indie music industry look going.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film. It’s been one of my favorites so far this year.