Lost in Translation

-Universal (2003)

Summary

A whole lot of white guy angst bothers a really old Bill Murray. 

My Thoughts

Every once in awhile an artistic film will actually become a critical and commercial success. Lost in Translation is one of these rare films. The story follows two wildly different characters drawn together by circumstance. Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, an actor whose spot in the limelight has faded. He's in Japan filming a whiskey commercial in the midst of a mid-life crisis. There he meets Charlotte, played by the extremely cute Scarlett Johansson. Charlotte is a young and newly married woman adrift in the sea of life. Between the two unlikely companions, a friendship and a sort of weird love blooms. Murray and Johansson’s performances are top notch and the work well together as the quirky couple. 

Not much actually happens in the film in terms of plot, but there’s some amazing cinematography as both characters struggle with their inner demons. Lost in Translation is worth a watch just for the hilarious scenes with Bill Murray as he films his whiskey commercial and appears on an insane Japanese talk show. 

I have to be honest and say that this is not a film I'd ever view alone again, because I found it pretty damn depressing. That doesn't make it a bad film, but it’s not a laugh riot or the feel good movie of the year. In fact, the ending is rather bittersweet, but that's how life is. You really don't go into this thinking that there will be an easy solution. Overall, this is a highly entertaining, yet artistic film that is well worth a watch.

As a DVD there really isn't anything to make it stand out with average motion menus and an average transfer. There is, however, a 5.1 mix and a much welcome DTS mix.

Extras

The extras on this edition are somewhat sparse, but decent additions overall. My favorite was the behind the scenes look that was shot on location with a handheld camera. It’s refreshingly raw, candid, and highly enjoyable.  

The other extras include the Mathews Best Hit TV segment that consists of Bob Harris’ appearance on the weird ass Japanese talk show. It is simply hilarious and can’t be missed. There’s also the music video by Kevin Shields for his song “City Girl” that I find pretty good, but not overly exciting. There are some deleted scenes which are actually quite boring and it’s completely understandable why they were cut out of the film. Rounding out the extras is a conversation with Sophia Coppola and Bill Murray that’s another decent watch. On the whole though, there isn’t a lot here, but it’s a rather okay effort.

Score:

Film: 8.0

Extras: 7.0

Edition:  7.0

 -Paul