Big fan of Bill Murray. This one made you think it would keep better and you kept waiting for something that just never happened. Sofia Coppola directed this but it fell short in comparison to great directing by Francis Ford Coppola.
0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Michael V. (horseracer21) from LAGUNA WOODS, CA Reviewed on 2/11/2020...
Horrible movie, could have been so good with Murray if had just tried. No real plot , a waste of time!!
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Leah G. (Leahbelle) from NIPOMO, CA Reviewed on 8/4/2012...
This is one of Sofie Coppola's classics. It's a must see. Bill Murray does a superb job of acting.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Charlene C. (mccoffield) from SOUTHLAKE, TX Reviewed on 8/13/2011...
This is a great movie, featuring realistic, believable characters. I think the people who wrote bad reviews of this movie really did get "lost in translation"; guess they were expecting slap-stick comedy (which it's not) or something really action-packed (which it's not). However, it does move at a good pace and is full of humor, pathos and great character development.
It's more like an 'Arts' film, i.e. Cannes Film Festival or Sundance Film Festival kind of movie. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor - all well deserved. Don't let the bad reviews put you off if you like movies with depth and with realistic, believable characters.
Both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are excellent in their roles. Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, a middle-aged celebrity who is in Japan to film TV commercials. Originally, he is lonely and bored, spending much of his spare time in the hotel bar. This is where he meets Charlotte, a young married woman played by Scarlett Johansson. Charlotte has accompanied her husband to Japan and also finds herself bored with too much free time on her hands. Thus sets the stage for a romantic friendship between Bob and Charlotte.
3 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Laura E. from CHARLOTTE, NC Reviewed on 1/9/2011...
The emperor is not wearing any clothes people! Everyone I know raved about this movie. I don't get it. It wasn't funny or entertaining or visually that interesting. If I followed my dog around with a camera for a few days it would end up more interesting than this movie. If you want to watch Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson walk around some and maybe say a word or two then you're going to love this movie. If you can have an opinion that differs from art house critics then do yourself a favor and skip this one.
5 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.
Nancy N. from DEERFIELD, NH Reviewed on 9/2/2009...
If you are a Bill Murray fan - you'll like this - he is superb whether it's comedy or not.
1 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Lori B. from BLAIR, WI Reviewed on 5/19/2009...
While this had it's moments of comedic entertainment it lacked in timing and character building. Though they tout this as being a "Flat out hilarious" and "Two big thumbs up" it wasn't side splitting in the least. They categorized this as a Romantic Comedy but I would have to strongly disagree. It's genre balances between Film Noir and Independent Film in nature. Aptly named, the title speaks for itself.
5 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.
Pamela A. from WHEELING, WV Reviewed on 5/2/2009...
This movie left me lost in translation. Not funny at all.
4 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.
Michelle M. from AUSTIN, TX Reviewed on 5/27/2008...
I did not get this movie at all. I liked Scarlett Johansson in it. She was adorable as the slightly lost girlfriend of a working artist. But while the dialogue was sometimes great, the pace was excruciatingly slow. I think three stars is about right.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
A beautiful story about loneliness and hope
Andrea Faiman | 09/22/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For those people who have reviewed this as boring - you are completely missing the point - but I'm not going to argue with you. This film tells the honest story of a lonely man in a troubled marriage - lost in a big noisy metropolis at the top of a big empty hotel. It's perfect - for the way it accurately tells that story. Sofia Coppola succeeds in pulling you inside the hotel and feeling that unique feeling of being away from home - lost. She has a way of pulling the viewer into the emotion of a scene and not letting go - where others may cut away - she makes sure you see those looks, those glances - those moments that we all understand. That is where the strength of this film lies - in its ability to yearn for its characters. I even liked Ana Faris's performance - although she was characterised as a pinheaded actress - the dialogue was so good when there - but not there if it didn't need to be.
Scarlett johansson & Bill Murray's performances are flawless- it's more like improv really - an uncertain but poignant attraction between them that need not go further - and need not display love-making to make its point. I would imagine that they didn't know each other at all at the start of filming - and so it makes the shyness and the banter between them even more attractive.
The only thing that I don't like is that it doesn't continue - but it has to end.
I'm so glad a friend asked me to see this back in 2004, it's one of my favourite films - totally original, unique and personal to the viewer.