Lost in Translation

So I've realized that its been a long time since I've done a legitimate review of a movie. The latest things I've been reviewing have been TV series, which are a lot of work and a lot of theories on Star Wars and... well Star Wars.

Not to say that I won't continue these things and the posts I promised won't happen but I thought I should A. Get this movie off my Netflix list and B. Shake things up a little bit.

Lost in Translation follows the story of a washed up actor by the name of Bob Harris (played by Bill Murray). He is in Tokyo for a series of commercials and promos. On the other hand you have Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson) , a recent Philosophy graduate who went to Tokyo with her photographer husband. She's very lost and unsure of what she wants to do with her life.

The two find each other in the midst of a streak of loneliness and just uncertainty of what they want. Charlotte is unsure of her marriage and whether or not she is happy and Harris is having somewhat of a midlife crisis. There's a line in the movie where he says, I could be at home with my wife, with my children, I could be doing plays or something more productive as an actor. But instead I'm here, alone and bored. (Paraphrased of course)

When the pair begin conversing, they almost immediately hit it off and when Charlotte's husband leaves, the two start hanging out together, going to clubs, singing karaoke, and just having fun in general.

From the very beginning, there's a very strange chemistry between the two of them. And its strange because its strangely romantic. I mean think about it. 2003, Bill Murray is pretty past his prime, obviously not as old as he is now but still pretty old, and then you have up and comer Scarlett Johansson. But one way or another, the two share this really interesting chemistry.

Its an interesting contrast because on one hand you have Charlotte who is really at a crossroads in her life but at the start of it. She has yet to really live on her own and she's very confused of what path she should take now. And then there's Harris who looks as though he's lived a good portion of his life and he's questioning whether or not his path makes him happy or not. His cross road is similar but at the same time very different from Charlotte and I think that's where they find intrigue in each other.

Again, its a strange chemistry, especially with the age difference, but its definitely an unorthodox approach at romance and connections between people.

Now all metaphors and "deep meanings" to the film put aside, what did I think of the movie?

Its alright.

Whenever I put movies like Lost in Translation on my Netflix Queue, I usually pick them because I've heard about them. These are usually movies I've heard really great things about but never got around to checking them out before.

Lost in Translation, I've heard great things about. While I will say its a well made movie and has a lot of content mull over, I really have to come out of with nothing but a shrug. Its good but I don't know if I would absolutely need to see it again. Its a smart movie but I'm not going to overly recommend it to my friends.

The relationship between Johansson and Murray is actually really touching and interesting, and there are a lot of funny moments, especially with all the scenes of Japanese people talking to Murray and he can't understand a word they are saying.

However, I just came out of the movie really underwhelmed.

I think I understand why people might say its a good movie and I would agree with them that its a little bit better than a run of the mill drama, however not by much.

Bill Murray, to me personally, is a little bit of an overrated actor. I respect him for the work that he's done and how iconic I guess he is. Its hard for me to say anything bad about him because the truth is, he's not a bad actor. However, I just don't quite get why people are so batshit crazy about him. He's very dry, we get it. I like a dry joke here and there but with Murray, its everywhere. In almost every movie he's in, he just looks downtrodden and bored.

Like I said, its hard for me to write this because like this movie, I don't think Bill Murray is bad, I just think he's a little bit overrated.

Overall, his performance was pretty good. He brought the dramatic moments, the always dry and bored humor that brings a smile to my face when he can't understand a lick of Japanese. It was good, but not brilliant.

Scarlett Johansson is also similar to the movie. Good but in the end not very memorable. I think the thing I'll remember most about this movie is the interesting chemistry between Murray and Johansson. In any other case, their relationship would just come off as weird and a little creepy on Murray's part. But the relationship works. As par as it is, it works and I think its mainly because you can see the love and connection between the two characters. Individual performances, pretty par. Together really carries the movie and I guess sets it apart?

All that aside... she's incredibly attractive in this movie. I guess this was one of her break out roles and I understand why now.

Overall, I think Lost in Translation is a good movie but in the end, its not really my cup of tea. I'm sure some people may enjoy it and there are things to enjoy. But for me it just felt a little bit lacking. Am I glad I finally got this off my list and got to see what everyone was talking about when they were talking about Lost in Translation? Yes. Was it everything everyone was raving about when they were talking about Lost in Tranlsation? No. Take what you will from that.

So that's my thoughts on Lost in Translation. Have you seen this movie? What did you think? If you disagree and think this movie is well above par let me know. Comment and discuss below.

I'll leave you with this. While the movie doesn't really go into Japanese stereotypes, it does have some funny moments where the characters are... "Lost in Translation" and can't understand the Japanese people. Well that's close enough to warrant a Cracked video on stereotypes. Enjoy!