After having seen
The Virgin Suicides, I wasn't too hopeful about Sofia Coppola's second outing, except for the fact that Bill Murray starred in the picture. How right I was! The movie is just about as slow-moving as
Suicides, with plenty of scenes that should have been cut. There is a random scene where some guy opens fire with a BB gun on some people, and there are way too many shots of random Japanese people playing video games. It would be easy to mistake
Translation for a travel documentary were it not for the soft-spoken antics of Bill Murray. At one point in the film, he doesn't say anything, he simply looks at a razor and begins shaving--the audience I was with burst out laughing. Bill Murray makes the film. Every time you think it may be too somber or melodramatic, little bits of dry humor ripple the artsy waters--it's similar to
Rushmore in that way. Scarlett Johansson has a standout performance as well. I barely noticed her in
Ghost World, as Thora Birch outshadowed her there, but
Lost in Translation gives her a real voice. Ultimately, the movie has very little meaning, conflict, or plot. The characters, however, are believable and almost likable. It would have been nice had the ending been more ambiguous, but if you like Bill Murray at all, it's definitely worth a watch.
--A.Y.