After a brutal performance that was so bad it actually ruined the otherwise great Godfather Part 3 for some people; Sophia Coppola solidified that she is a very talented writer and director with Lost in Translation.  This was her follow up to the surprisingly good Virgin Suicides and she showed growth and development in every way.  I usually don’t expect much from the offspring of great artists, but Sophia did Daddy proud.  Not to be lost in my gushing over Sophia here are the spectacular performances by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.  Murray resurrected his career with an outstanding performance in Rushmore and showed that it was no fluke in this movie.  He’s always been hilarious, but as he’s gotten older he’s been able to add layers to the roles he plays that weren’t there before.  Johansson toiled around as a child actress for years in movies like North and Home Alone 3 before scoring a nice part in the underrated Ghost World which is probably eventually landed her this role.

Murray plays Bob Harris, an American movie star who goes to Japan to do a whisky commercial.  Bob’s heart is definitely not in doing this commercial and you get the feeling that his relationship with his wife of over 20 years has grown stale through a series of phone calls with her regarding fabric samples.   Johansson plays Charlotte, who is in Japan with her husband who’s an up and coming photographer there on a job.  Her husband played by Giovanni Ribisi leaves her alone in the hotel during the days while he heads out to do his shoots and seems much more interested in the young starlet they run in to hilariously played by Ana Farris.    The two lost souls meet at the hotel bar and form a unique and surprising friendship.  Both are sleep deprived and emotionally deprived by their spouses and unsure existence.  Is their relationship romantic?  Sort of, and at points you wonder if they are going to get it on, but that’s not what this is about.  It’s about two people who need someone to remind them that there is a point to their lives and find that person unexpectedly at a hotel bar in Japan.  Coppola could have gone the easy rout and made their relationship more sexual, but she chose to stay the course and create something much deeper and more gratifying.  The end is beautifully done.  As Bob is about to head back to the states, he runs after Charlotte and whispers something in her ear.  We don’t hear what this is; but why should we?  It’s really none of our business.  Is he telling her that he loves her and wants to see her when she returns home or that they can never see each other again or something completely different?  It’s really up to each and every person who sees the movie to decide what it means to them.

Sean Penn won the Best Actor Oscar that year for his role in Mystic River.  He was good, but I think if the Academy could do it over again Murray would take it.  It’s one of those mulligans that Academy needs every so often.  Bob Harris is one of my all time favorite characters and Murray plays him with such subtle humor and a sadness the lies literally just below the surface.  Johansson wasn’t nominated but probably should have been.  Not an easy job for a young actress to be able to hang with the likes of Bill Murray, but she proves to be every bit in his league here.  Coppola deservedly won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  I heard some people describe this movie as boring, pointless or not funny enough.  While there is plenty here that will make you laugh it’s not meant to be a full on comedy.  The movie isn’t driven by a formulaic plot like so many romantic comedies, but by the characters.  I shouldn’t even call this a romantic comedy I guess.  The more I write about this the more I feel like it should be higher on my list, but this is where I have it, so for now so be it.  It’s a good movie to watch alone, maybe with a couple glasses of scotch.  Give yourself a chance to soak it in, because I think it’s something that anyone can relate to.

I want to get back to Coppola in The Godfather Part 3 again just real quick.  I wouldn’t say that she ruined the movie for me as I still give it a solid B.  I just wonder if Winona Ryder who was initially to play the part of Michael Corleone’s daughter (but had to back out due to a schedule conflict shooting Edward Scissorhands) could have propelled the movie to classic status with the original two.  So I guess in sense she did ruin it for me by making what could have been a great movie simply good.  She was that bad in it, and if you have seen it you know what I am talking about.

Agree?  Disagree?  Feel free to let me know.  Sayonara Suckas!