GEM FOR SOME, NAPTIME FOR OTHERS

By: B -- 11/13/03

Here's to Lost in Translation, taking the ‘less is more' philosophy and making a sweet movie out of it. Director Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides) has made a tender comedy with minimal words and minimal action. For what it's worth, it gets B's vote as best movie of 2003.

Lost in Translation shows the relationship between Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). They are Americans who meet in Japan while staying in the same hotel and strike up a quirky, odd friendship. Harris is an aging American celebrity, visiting Japan to make commercials and various appearances. Charlotte is a tagalong to her international photographer husband and is bored and confused in this foreign city. They meet by happenstance and end up becoming friends. The film documents their friendship growing from polite to personal. With quiet humor and a serene pace, this is an atypical film in every sense.

The best parts of this movie stem from the bonding between the two. It's subtle and simple, and more like real life than most everything else on the big screen. In real life, a simple look, a brief touching of hands or a silly joke can mean something. It's the same in this movie- it shows us what is cut out of most movies. Sweating the small stuff is what most of our lives revolve around, and this movie symbolizes this perfectly. The emotion in the movie lies between the words.

The acting is superb, and Bill Murray will almost assuredly be Oscar-nominated for his portrayal. Not far behind is Johansson, who shows us her insecurities and tenderness with more than just words. Beyond that, there aren't many other characters in the movie. The plot is anything but complex. We only get to know the two main characters, and there is really only one plot line throughout the entire film. That one story, however, is so multi-faceted that we don't need anything more.

Critically, Lost in Translation is a huge success. Coppola shows us how minimalism can work in movies. Everything matters here; it depicts real-life in that non-verbals are more important than verbals. This is a distinct movie in every sense, one that is hard to forget and rarely seen. The scenery is also amazing, giving us unique, and sometimes claustrophobic, looks at Tokyo.

The main problem with this movie is the pacing. From beginning to end, this is a very slow movie, definitely not a film for everybody. There is a fine line between appreciating the depth of the relationship and not really caring one way or the other. It's that subtle. If you don't care about the characters, caring about the movie isn't even an issue.

It's not an easy movie, and not exciting, but for what it tries to be, this movie is fantastic. Approach with caution, but don't be afraid to be encapsulated by this minimalist tale.

POP RATING: 6

CRITICAL RATING: 9.1

B'S RATING: 8.8

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