Lost in Translation

I don't get it. I don't think anyone does, and if they tell you they do, they are full of it--whatever "it" may be. I think the title can be transposed to both the characters on screen and the audience. Every single person that watches this film will  have a different take on what they have just witnessed. I do get why it received raves while out, and why the Oscars were kind to it. It is a fun movie to watch as it feels almost like an episode of Seinfeld in the fact that not much happens. If I took a trip to Tokyo, it could very well be exactly like this movie. There's none of those "That wouldn't happen" moments, and it all feels extremely real. Bill "F%&*ing" Murray (I know that's not his real name) plays Bob Harris. Bob is an American actor that we perceive is past his prime in the states, yet he still huge in Japan. A whisky company has hired him for a commercial, to which he is taken care of by said company. He sees it as sort of a getaway from reality. A vacation to possibly realize what he wants from the rest of his life. While in the hotel bar, he meets Charlotte (Scarlett). She is a semi permanent resident of Tokyo with her Rock star producing husband played by Giovanni Ribisi. We don't see him except in one scene which sucks because he is awesome, but in this particular film, his character is pretty much pointless, so I get it. He is always out wining and dining clients, and Charlotte is always alone. Her and Bob hit it off, and we are unsure if she sees him as a Father figure, or a confidant, or a love interest. We know she is unhappy in her marriage, but we are uncertain of her intentions. The same goes with Bob. How he sees this girl 40 years his junior is also unclear. What we get from this film is a fun couple of days with two people who don't know what they want. It is fun, as we see them go to dinner, to parties, to a karaoke bar. Nothing spectacular, but it does give us a sense that these two needed each other. Where it goes from here, I will not say. You will just have to sit and enjoy this little film, that at times can be slow, and is mostly pointless...or is it.


**PS. What does Bob whisper to Charlotte? It's been driving me nuts.


NBM rates Lost in Translation - Awesome