7.7/10
399,854
1,978 user 290 critic

Lost in Translation (2003)

14A | | Comedy, Drama | 3 October 2003 (USA)
Trailer
2:15 | Trailer
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.

Director:

Sofia Coppola

Writer:

Sofia Coppola
Popularity
379 ( 338)
Won 1 Oscar. Another 97 wins & 130 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

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

Middle-aged American movie star Bob Harris is in Tokyo to film a personal endorsement Suntory whiskey ad solely for the Japanese market. He is past his movie star prime, but his name and image still have enough cachet for him to have gotten this lucrative $2 million job. He has an unsatisfying home life where his wife Lydia follows him wherever he goes - in the form of messages and faxes - for him to deal with the minutiae of their everyday lives, while she stays at home to look after their kids. Staying at the same upscale hotel is fellow American, twenty-something recent Yale Philosophy graduate Charlotte, her husband John, an entertainment still photographer, who is on assignment in Japan. As such, she is largely left to her own devices in the city, especially when his job takes him out of Tokyo. Both Bob and Charlotte are feeling lost by their current situations, which are not helped by the cultural barriers they feel in Tokyo, those cultural barriers extending far beyond just not... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

14A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Most or all of the game audio heard in the arcade is not the original audio from the games shown. See more »

Goofs

At the end of the scene where Charlotte first sees Bob in the elevator, she does not actually exit the elevator. At the far right side of the screen, her purse is visible, revealing that she is just standing there. See more »

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.
See more »

Crazy Credits

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

Alternate Versions

To get a PG rating in Australia, the topless bar scene was deleted, but restored in later versions See more »

Connections

Referenced in De slimste mens ter wereld: Episode #10.2 (2017) See more »

Soundtracks

Just Like Honey
(1985)
Written by Jim Reid (as James McLeish Reid) and William Reid
Performed by The Jesus & Mary Chain
Courtesy of Warner U.K. Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing
See more »

User Reviews

 
Lingers for days- sucks you in.
30 November 2005 | by mlee-29See all my reviews

Few movies make you THINK long after they end. That's OK. Movies are supposed to entertain and most do so without requiring even one ounce of thought. It's sad that maybe some of you out there prefer movies- and life- that way. Thankfully this movie is all about thinking and feeling. This is not a chick flick. It's a human experience flick.

This film examines and lays bare the intricacies of love, life and loneliness; the claustrophobia, insomnia and disorientation of traveling to a foreign country. The loneliness that creeps in after life's normality starts to wear thin. The spark of promise that meeting someone new brings. This is what life is about and what this film so flawlessly portrays.

How many of you can relate to and have actually been that guy/girl on business, in the hotel in some foreign city, happily married yet feeling alone and beaten by life's banality? How many of us have been tempted in that very situation, to stray from the confines of moral adherence for the lure of a forbidden, if fleeting, joy? How many have felt that tingle- that spark- when a stranger smiles and you think, "you know, in another life..."? Change the time, place and all of us have been there whether we admit it or not. Maybe single people don't get this movie; maybe it's for those of us who have walked down that aisle and are wiser to the realities of life.

The characters here are true. Their dialog is true. The setting is true. It's all tirelessly fascinating because we can all relate to it and it involves us in a way that most movies do not. We find ourselves drawn to every moment these two experience together and apart. We are intrigued by the glances, nuances and words they share.

Johanssen is brilliant and beautiful as the lonely, young wife questioning her marriage. Her beauty is classic, not necessarily sexual, though she is obviously alluring in this role. Her bee-stung lips, perfect body and haunting eyes may have something to do with that. Still she's more sophisticated beauty than mindless hottie, even at 19. This is a role tailor-made for her. It could never have been Reese Witherspoon or Jessica Alba or - God forbid- Jessica Simpson, or anybody else in that realm.

Murray is simply at his best. He does "exasperated, middle-aged and depressed" better than most, with his receding hairline and frumpy body. You really believe that these two could connect in a physical and emotional way, as remote as that may seem on the surface. What other 50-something could ever be believed to be appealing to a young woman as pretty as Charlotte? That's a tough chemistry to fake and I can't think of a more perfect pair. What drives them to this attraction is what's intriguing to watch.

Go see this. Turn off your "Major Blockbuster-Tom Cruise-Action-Pop Culture Catch Phrase-Big Star" mind and tune in with a more searching self. Watch this with your soul and heart, not your eyes. If you look deeper than the surface you'll find yourself moved by the whole experience. Yes, it's THAT good.


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Details

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese | German | French

Release Date:

3 October 2003 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Traduction infidèle See more »

Filming Locations:

Omote-Sando, Tokyo, Japan See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$925,087, 14 September 2003

Gross USA:

$44,585,453

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$118,685,453
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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