We'll Always Have Tokyo...
Lost Shows Japan Through Two Sets of Eyes

Watching Lost in Translation is a bit like unboarding a plane in a strange city. You don't know where you're going, you don't know how you'll get there, but you're following someone else and hoping -- praying -- that they know where they are going. Luckily, writer/director Sofia Coppola is an experienced artist who knows exactly where she's going. And the audience gets to come along for the ride.

The bright lights and bustling traffic of Tokyo would be enough to dazzle any visitor to the city, but for an American the customs and language are additional barriers that further obfuscate the situation. For actor Bob Harris (Bill Murray) the trip to Japan is part business, part mid-life crisis. He's shooting a commercial for a trendy whiskey, but he's also escaping a variety of problems at home. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), on the other hand, has come to Japan with her husband (Giovanni Ribisi) and finds herself fighting for his attention.

Coppola avoids using subtitles, so audiences, like Bob, must try to guess what is being said. The exchanges between Bob and his director read like something out of a old comedy sketch, as the director talks for minutes about the coming commercial shoot only be to translated by the assistant with a simple, "With intensity." "Is that everything?" asks Bob. "I mean, it seemed like he said quite a bit more than that."

As Bob and Charlotte experience the many wonders and oddities of life in a foreign country, the audience gets to experience another world. From rituals for business decorum to the constant language barrier, Bob and Charlotte are constantly adrift in a sea of alien culture. Because they are both insomniacs, they keep running into each other in the hotel late at night -- in the bar, at the pool. When Charlotte's husband has to leave the city for a few days to do a photo shoot, she invites Bob to join her and some friends for a night on the town.

While most Hollywood stories might turn this into a story of lust and infidelity, there are other forces at work that helps Lost in Translation avoid a cliché. Obviously, the difference in ages brings a complication to the relationship, but the interaction between Bob and Charlotte is filled with unspoken sexual tension. Yet, they never try to put down their spouses or their lives. Bob talks freely about being married for 25 years, and tries to give Charlotte the benefit of his experience. The result is a strange film about needing someone and how that need can be filled without leading to sex and infidelity.

Murray and Johansson are both excellent. Murray's soft spoken charm and wit are a contrast to his younger days, but like many good comedians he has found a comfortable level that works for him at his current age. Johansson is a delight, both beautiful to look at and stunning in the maturity of her performance. Both were nominated for Golden Globes, with Murray winning Best Actor in a Comedy. Murray was again nominated for Best Actor by the Academy Awards. I think he has a real shot at stealing the thunder from Sean Penn.

Coppola's script is excellent and the most original comedy to come to the screen this year. Yes, Coppola plays off a number of Japanese stereotypes, but she does so in a way that puts the joke on Murray instead of making fun of the Japanese culture. The more Bob looks like an outsider, the funnier he seems. By contrast, Charlotte doesn't clash with the culture so much as embrace it. Many of the shots of her in the city show her watching it, absorbing it, trying to take it in. She too is an outsider, but filled with awe.

The cinematography is amazing. Coppola's direction and the work of cinematographer Lance Acord create a Japan that is beautiful and larger than life. The colors of electric signs swirl across the dark windows of the passing taxis. In contrast, solace and serenity fill the scenes filmed in Kyoto where Charlotte experiences a different Japan than modern-day Tokyo.

While Lost in Translation may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is humorous. Nevertheless, I think this is really a tender, serious film masking as a dry, witty comedy. Murray is perfectly cast and Johansson is remarkable. In the end, the film is bittersweet, but like most bittersweet memories it is very much worth remembering.

MY RATING: 9 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 102 min.