I finally saw Lost in Translation a few nights ago. It didn't quite live up to the hype for me. I don't know if this was due to my mood at the time, or to impossibly high expectations because of said hype. I had a few issues with the film. First of all, there is the autobiographical element. Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johanssen, was clearly a stand-in for Sofia Coppola herself, and John, played by Giovanni Ribisi, was clearly a stand-in for Spike Jonze. I've read that the ditzy blond actress was supposed to be Cameron Diaz, and she certainly was Cameron-like with her bubbly demeanor, TMI regarding body odor, and her kung fu movie (i.e. the Charlie's Angels remake). I don't know the details of the now-defunct marriage between Sofia and Spike, and so I can't take sides. However, I absolutely love Spike's work. Being John Malkovich and Adaption are among my favorite movies of all time, and impressed me greatly with their innovation. Spike's probably my favorite music video director as well...God, think of Weezer's "Buddy Holly," the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" and "Praise You"...I could go on and on. So, to see Spike portrayed in such a negative light in Lost in Translation left a bad taste in my mouth. And it really was Spike. The sunglasses, the clothes, the demeanor, the stuttering, the mannerisms...(if you check out his performance in Three Kings, you can see how strong the resemblance is)...it was definitely him. And so I couldn't hold back some irritation at Charlotte, and thus Sofia Coppola herself, for making me feel negatively about an artist that I greatly admire. This compromised my ability to enjoy any scenes with Charlotte, especially the scenes with John, with ditzy blond actress girl, or with Charlotte alone. Well, there is also the matter of some appalling interviews with Scarlett Johanssen which have dissipated my previous admiration of the actress (which existed in the first place because of her appearance in Ghost World).

Okay, my other beef with the movie (surprise, surprise): how the Japanese were objects of mockery. Why would a reasonably intelligent wommon ask a question like "Why do they mix up their l's and r's?" Other than to set up Bob's punchline, "For yuks"? Different languages have different sounds, and not all people were raised learning to speak the sounds used in the English language, dumbass! Gah! And it struck me as strange that the insanely cheezy red-haired lounge singer was good enough for Bob to sleep with, because she was white and American, while the Asian prostitute who asked him to "lip my stockings" was too repulsive to fuck. Cheating on his wife is cheating...but of course he would only cheat with a white chick. I hated that whole segment, actually. Well both segments--the "lip my stockings" segment and the "cheating-on-wife-with-cheezy-lounge-singer" segment. The latter plot twist just seemed too soap opera-ish for me. It served its purpose to create conflict between Bob and Charlotte, and to also help them realize how much they meant to one another, but surely there could have been a less predictable and cheezy way to do this. Ugh.

Things I liked: Bill Murray, the ending, the soundtrack, the cinematography, the title.

Bill Murray: Sofia Coppola has reported that she wrote this part with him in mind, and he took the role and completely kicked ass with it. He was transfixing in every scene...the subtlety of his performance was astounding. His voice, his fleeting facial expressions, his body language, his eyes...with ease and grace, he conveyed the myriad of this character's emotions and uncertainties. I'm not as familiar with his other performances as most other kids of my generation are (I've only seen him in Rushmore, and have never seen Meatballs or Ghostbusters or any other the other iconic Bill Murray movies), but I understand why he's always so celebrated as a comedic and, more importantly, an authentically human actor. Whenever I think about Bob, there is a pang of tenderness in my heart, and this is thanks to Mr. Murray. I think, other than the ending and the going-out-karaoke-scene, my favorite scene is when he's in the hospital waiting room, goofing around with the old Japanese lady, while Charlotte gets her foot examined. I just love that scene, the pure childish joy of it.

The ending: this was one of the director's touches which struck me as really lovely. Bob whispers something in Charlotte's ear before they part, and we, the audience, are not able to decipher it. It's their secret. It reminds me of the end of Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love when the main male character whispers his secret into the hole of a tree, and we don't hear what he says. In both cases, the characters keep something to themselves, and this gives them some privacy, a life outside of the world of the movie. Which makes them only seem more real, and more alive.

The soundtrack/cinematography: I thought the music was fantastic. Perfectly captured the mood of the film. And the cinematography, with those gorgeous shots of neon signs reflected on windows and dreamy off-kilter images, was also wonderful.

The title: "Lost in translation" refers not only to the fact that Bob and Charlotte are in a foreign country where they do not understand the language or the culture, but also how they are unable to communicate with their spouses or understand themselves. Only when they're with each other does the world make some sense. However, the strength of their mutual understanding can only occur under ephemeral circumstances (while they are away from their normal worlds and their spouses, while they are in their current stages of personal evolution). This is why they must part, to keep the purity of their spectacular connection.

Next up for me: Capturing the Friedmans! I've been dying to see this movie since forever. Woo!