Lost in Translation

A very nice story. Amazing acting (Bill Murray gives the performance of his life). If your mood was hovering around freezing point before seeing Lost in Translation, afterward you’ll be at pleasant room temperature. It’s the kind of movie that puts you in a good mood and makes for a better day. You’ll probably also have a sudden urge to fly to Tokyo to play a round of golf. At least I did. ;-) (09/10/2007)

This very sweet and unforced film about falling in platonic love perhaps could not have been written and directed without living through a similar experience. Lost in Translation is harmoniously fluid, without a single cliché of the romance genre, with an atypical and yet pleasantly well-coordinated couple, sincere dialogue and a minimalist conclusion with a stronger emotional impact than even the great romantic classics offer. “The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you”. (04/06/2021)

Yes, this movie is not bad in my opinion... However, it is by no means as good as the enthusiastic applause of critics and some viewers would suggest. Lost in Translation arrived at the right time with a style that was in demand. Viewers and especially critics were simply tired of high-budget productions packed with digital special effects and action and longed for a more civil, cultured expression. It is not a comedy in the true sense of the word, there are few purely humorous situations, and if they do appear, they are the ones that bring a smile to the lips, certainly not laughter. Much more than that, it is an unfulfilled love story between unequal partners without a real perspective. The film's strengths lie in the performances of the main pair and the script, which draws on knowledge of the film industry and Japanese culture. On the other hand, I have seen much stronger films on a similar theme and did not find anything exceptional in this film. Some scenes are so drawn out that they can even be boring... It gets a weak 4 stars from me and an overall impression of 70%. (13/08/2007)

I was very curious to see how Sofia Coppola fared and I was looking forward to her top work so far. And I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. The film beautifully depicts the contrast between the usual, to which our heroes have been accustomed all their lives, and the exotic Japanese jungle, where their lonely souls seem far removed from their awkward and tormented bodies. Bill Murray is terrific, utterly convincing and charming as the bored movie star, and I have to say that he probably deserved the Oscar more than Sean Penn did for Mystic River. Even Scarlett Johansson, in one of her first big roles, proved that she’s not just a pretty face, but an extremely talented actress, and that she’s a more than capable co-star for the great Murray. It is the two of them, and the perfect chemistry between them, that greatly contribute to the flawless direction and make Lost in Translation one of the most enjoyable films ever made on a similar subject. There wasn't much missing, and even I was swept away to a full review. (22/10/2012)

YES! Anyone who says this film is amazing and doesn't hold back the superlatives is absolutely right. A beautiful love story that managed to avoid all unnecessary clichés and superficialities, while being (no wonder) original. Praise for the directing, which is extraordinarily civil, non-stylized, in a way inconspicuous and draws the viewer into the film. Praise for Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray for acting performances that go far below the surface of the characters. Murray's mimic minimalism, in particular, is worthy of infinite respect – how little is enough to perfectly portray a character... Just to have the gift. Praise for the music, the camera... and, of course, above all the screenplay. The way two lost people find each other in a world of unknown signs and strange morals is simply magnificent. For all the side motifs that Lost in Translation offers, the searching (for themselves) of the main characters in the middle of the unknown seems to me to be the most beautiful thing I have taken from the film. It can probably be seen as a statement about an era, about the meeting of different cultures, but the most beautiful thing in it is precisely the most intimate. What it can do without blatant phrases and shocking scenes. What stands out so beautifully against the backdrop of an artificial and ridiculously complicated world – the story of a fleeting blending of two souls. And in such a sensitive and tender rendition that I prefer to stop and go and "experience". (13/03/2004)