Lost in Translation (2003)

A fading movie star with a sense of emptiness, and a neglected young wife meet as strangers in Tokyo and form an unlikely bond.

Director:

Sofia Coppola

Writer:

Sofia Coppola

Stars:

Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Giovanni Ribisi

Won 1 Oscar. Another 82 wins & 63 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scarlett Johansson	...	Charlotte
Bill Murray	...	Bob Harris
Akiko Takeshita	...	Ms. Kawasaki
Kazuyoshi Minamimagoe	...	Press Agent
Kazuko Shibata	...	Press Agent
Take	...	Press Agent
Ryuichiro Baba	...	Concierge
Akira Yamaguchi	...	Bellboy
Catherine Lambert	...	Jazz Singer
François du Bois	...	Sausalito Piano (as Francois du Bois)
Tim Leffman	...	Sausalito Guitar
Gregory Pekar	...	American Businessman #1
Richard Allen	...	American Businessman #2
Giovanni Ribisi	...	John
Daiamondo Yukai	...	Commercial Director (as Yutaka Tadokoro)

Storyline

Bob Harris is an American film actor, far past his prime. He visits Tokyo to appear in commercials, and he meets Charlotte, the young wife of a visiting photographer. Bored and weary, Bob and Charlotte make ideal if improbable traveling companions. Charlotte is looking for "her place in life," and Bob is tolerating a mediocre stateside marriage. Both separately and together, they live the experience of the American in Tokyo. Bob and Charlotte suffer both confusion and hilarity due to the cultural and language differences between themselves and the Japanese. As the relationship between Bob and Charlotte deepens, they come to the realization that their visits to Japan, and one another, must soon end. Or must they?

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Plot Keywords:

meet | photographer | commercial | hotel | japanese | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes you have to go halfway around the world to come full circle

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Distributor's web site with synopsis and media Focus Features

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English Japanese German French

Release Date:

3 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Perdidos en Tokio

Filming Locations:

Heian Shrine, Kyoto, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$113,419 (Netherlands) (20 February 2004)

Gross:

£9,865,162 (UK) (26 March 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Tohokashinsha Film Company Ltd., American Zoetrope

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The conversation between the two men in the Sauna (near the end of the film) goes something like this: - "I can hardly eat papayas anymore!" - "At first I was really happy ... at first, I thought ... well I thought..." - "At the beginning, yes." - "In Germany, I was looking forward to it, but in the meantime..." - "Yeah. Now, something German..." - "Hmmmm." - "After this, we'll go out and get something German to eat here!"

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Goofs

In the scene where Charlotte arrives at Shibuya Crossing, the camera shot from her point of view suggests she is crossing away from Shibuya Station, viewing the dinosaur on the jumbo-tron across the street. In the shots where we actually see her crossing the street, however, she is instead walking towards the station.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ms. Kawasaki: Welcome to Tokyo.
Bob: Thank you very much.
Ms. Kawasaki: My name is Kawasaki. Nice to meet you.
Bob: I've heard of you. Thank you.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to Mom and Dad, Roman, Spike, Steph, Kun, Zoe and Xan, Robert and Stacey, Staff of Park Hyatt Tokyo....

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Connections

Referenced in Ocean's Twelve (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Torn Into"
Written by Mount Sims (as Matt Sims)
Performed by Mount Sims
Courtesy of Emperor Norton Records

User Reviews

Sometimes the simplest stories make the best films

I went through an array of emotions and expressions watching this film; most of them centred around how bizarre I thought it was, yet it was like a good book I simply couldn't put down even if the film itself lived up to its title at times.

This is by far the best work Bill Murray has done, and it will be a pleasant surprise for many to see him find a new (to me, anyway) side to his ability as an actor. He captures the role with such precision that you don't realise this is the same guy who, dare I even mention it in the same breath, provided the voice of Garfield last year. You see a few traces of his characteristic smugness every once in a while, but by and large the Bill Murray you see is a lot more serious... and seriously damned good.

It's such a simple story... unhappy married man meets unhappy married woman in a place neither of them are familiar with, and suddenly realise that they're all the other has got at least for the time being. In an age where Hollywood is trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to scare and shock us with something new at every turn, Sofia Coppola takes what should be the premise for a typical chick flick and turns it into something that anyone who has ever experienced an emotion of any description can watch and appreciate.

A brilliant film in any language.