Overall Rating
 Awesome: 61.94%
Worth A Look: 13.12%
Average: 7.87%
Pretty Bad: 9.19%
Total Crap: 7.87%
16 reviews, 285 user ratings
|
|
| Lost in Translation |
by Brian McKay
"Sometimes to find yourself, you have to get lost in the shuffle of humanity"
|
After seeing most of his work over the years, I've decided there is not one, but in fact, three Bill Murrays. There's the kooky, funny old Bill Murray that we love from classics like STRIPES, GHOSTBUSTERS, and CADDYSHACK. There's the phoning-it-in Bill Murray who thoroughly underwhelmed us with steaming examples of awfulness like THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE, OSMOSIS JONES, or CHARLIES ANGELS. And then there's my favorite Bill Murray of all, the one we catch rare glimpses of in films like RUSHMORE and now LOST IN TRANSLATION.This third Bill Murray is not only the most human, but in many ways the funniest. His utterly deadpan approach to the character of Herman Blume in Rushmore left me so impressed that I dubbed it "his finest work ever" (even over my beloved Carl the assistant greenskeeper from Caddyshack). Now, that Bill Murray is back, and once again he has impressed the hell out of me with a combination of humor and warmth that derive from a strong acting prowess that most never realized he had in him.
In Lost in Translation, Bill plays funny sad man Bob Harris, a once-famous actor whose popularity has waned in the States, but who remains a popular cult icon in Japan. When he travels to Tokyo to pick up a quick paycheck for appearing in a whiskey ad campaign, he finds himself feeling utterly alienated and more than a little depressed that his career has come to hawking liquor on Japanese billboards. Add to that a wife who only seems passionate about decorating his study, and a couple of kids who are getting used to him not being around, and you have a man who has reached a nadir in his life.
Meanwhile, Charlotte (Scarlett Johannsen of Ghost World fame) is a newlywed, fresh out of Yale, who has no idea what her purpose in life is. She tags along with her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi) who is on assignment to Tokyo, and they end up staying in the same hotel as Harris.
Considering the sense of isolation both of them feel, their initial meeting, and the unique friendship that grows from it, seem not only inevitable but completely natural. Surprisngly, the chemistry between Murray and Johannsen really works, giving us two characters the audience can care deeply for, and who can speak volumes without having to run their mouths the whole time. It's the quiet moments in Lost in Translation that are the most profound, just as the toned-down trademark Bill Murray humor is used to its greatest effect. The credibility of the relationship between Bob and Charlotte is never strained, a nice combination of not-quite-lovers but more than friends.
Unfortunately, there are a few distractions that break the flow of the film, like the far too frequent re-appearance of of annoying Hollywood starlet bimbo Kelly (Ana Faris), and the film's tendency to linger in a few scenes for too long (Bill Murray singing karaoke for one song is funny. After two or three, it starts to wear thin). Still, these little distractions aside, Lost in Translation is well worth a trip to your local art house.The Bill Murray we get in LOST IN TRANSLATION is the Bill that sticks with you the most. And while flashes of Tripper Harrison (MEATBALLS) or John Winger (STRIPES) are still very much a part of his on-screen persona, he also gives us something new and pretty damn wonderful.
link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=8132&reviewer=258
originally posted: 09/28/03 02:57:21
![[printer]](/images/icon/printer.gif) printer-friendly format
|
 |
USA
12-Sep-2003 (R)
DVD: 03-Feb-2004
UK
N/A
Australia
26-Dec-2003
|
|
Articles 
subscribe to this feed![[AllPosters.com]](/images/icon/ap.gif){kind=icon}
