pwnt.be

If you ask me, Lost in Translation is one of those movies no one really wants to see, but they do anyway, because everyone else seems to as well. If that statement just blew your mind, you probably shouldn’t read the rest of this post.

What’s this critically acclaimed film about? Well, to be blunt, it’s a sappy love story. Yeah, it also revolves around alienation-induced ennui, but is that really a reason to involve the viewer in that very ennui? Really, it’s just a massive bore. You get the picture after about five minutes, and from there, it just meanders on.

The good news is, there’s some really solid acting by Scarlett Johansson and especially Bill Murray, whom I’ve always admired, to a certain extent. Together, they keep the shoddy raft that is the plot afloat. There’s also some fine camera work, albeit unimaginative—textbook stuff, really.

However, I don’t get how European pop music is supposed to fit into a movie that’s entirely set in Tokyo, no matter how excellent that music actually may be. Throw some Air or Phoenix into a flick and I’ll enjoy it, as long as it makes sense. There’s so much Japanese pop music out there!

Finally, for a comedy drama, Lost in Translation didn’t get much laughter out of me—actually, none. Which makes me wonder if the countless cheap shots at Japanese culture were justified. I’m extremely liberal when it comes to humor and free speech, but this was just slander, really.

In conclusion, if you’re among the few who have yet to sit through this brutal assault on the human attention span, I’d suggest you keep it that way. A very generous 6/10, because of the acting performances.