Lonely in the biggest city in the world, two disparate people find companionship in Tokyo. Bill Murray is amusing as Bob Harris, a middle-aged, po-faced movie star who is 'reduced' to making whisky ads in Japan (albeit for two million dollars) and his interactions with his handlers and with the more offbeat aspects of Japanese media-culture provides most of the film's humour. Seventeen year-old (and pre- Hollywood-superstar) Scarlett Johansson's character (Charlotte) is more subtle, and her vulnerability and uncertainty is a perfect foil to Harris' superficial 'wise-guy glibness'. Not a lot happens, and although it has 'aged-well', I found the film a bit slow-moving on a second viewing but the characters are engaging and the odd trajectory of their 'romance' is compelling.
Review of Lost in Translation
