Valentines Day, a day where men and women show their love for each other with roses, chocolates, and love letters. Instead of writing a letter to a woman, this year I will be writing about a movie I love very much, and easily put it in my top 10 movies of all time list, Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation is the second film directed by Sophia Coppola, this 2003 masterpiece stars Bill Murray as a declining actor who faces a midlife crisis. Hitting a snag in his marriage, and getting paid millions to go to Japan to endorse Suntory Whiskey. While in Tokyo he meets a young college graduate named Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson. Who is unemployed and follows her work-a-holic husband photographer to Japan. Both face the same issue of being stuck and not knowing their place in life from different perspectives. They both hate where they are, question their marriages, and hate being in Japan. But when they meet they form a bond and friendship that goes beyond their problems, and they use each others strengths to help them through their issues.
Bill Murray is fantastic as Bob Harris. For so long I believed his best work was Groundhog day, and he would never act better than his performance in that film. His role in Lost in Translation is a subtle style of comedy and sadness that plays off perfectly from his co-star Johansson, and the Japanese community that surrounds him. His acting as a result landed him as a well deserved nominee for the Oscar of best actor. And proved me wrong in my assessment that his work in Groundhog Day could never be topped. Coppola's filming style was beautiful and perfect in not only showing the wonder of Japan, but using the scenery to accent the emotions of the actors at the same time. Some of my favorite scenes include Scarlett Johansson walking around Japan, exploring the sites with her curious nature. No words are spoken, yet her facial expressions in reaction to the environment around her paints the perfect image that reflects the issues her character faces in the movie.
Some critics criticized Johansson's acting as being sub-par in comparison to Murray's. But I found they were the perfect counter to one another, the young new actress playing off of the old experienced Male lead had a perfect harmony between the two. This is proven when the two are in the hotel together, laying in a bed talking about marriage, life, and children. Very few actors can successfully hold a scene without cut aways or very few cut aways, yet the combination of Murray and Johansson managed to do it.
In my recent trip to Japan there was a lot I wanted to see, some of my greatest moments while in Tokyo was going to the filming locations where they filmed the movie. It's not the first time I've been at a location where a film was made, and I've been on several movie sets before. But to be where they filmed many scenes for a movie I love as much as I did this one trumps every other movie experience I've ever had. (This includes being in Seth Green's trailer during the movie Rat Race) Lost in Translation is a sad movie about comedy, and love, and it brought every element together in sheer perfection.
FINAL GRADE: A+
Official Trailer can be viewed here:
]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU0oZsqeG_s
