Sofia Coppola dazzled us with her second film, Lost in Translation, shot almost entirely in Tokyo, taking us through the bright and busy entertainment district, and juxtaposing that against the intimacy of the hotel bar where Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) meet and form a romantic – albeit unconsummated – romance. Bob has grown disillusioned with his marriage and career, agreeing to do a Japanese whiskey commercial in Tokyo – where the slowdown of his career looms over him. Charlotte is two years into a marriage with her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi), who leaves her behind at the hotel while he is engrossed in his own creative endeavors, giving Charlotte time to question just where she fits in his busy life and whether or not she’s fulfilling her own potential. Cinematographer Lance Acord captured a neon vivid and, alternately, melancholy Tokyo, and Coppola’s Academy Award-winning script and sure handed direction invited the elegant and nuanced performances from Murray and Johansson, as the two Americans grow slowly intoxicated with the sense that their unlikely friendship could grow into something more.
“Sofia Coppola’s stealthy romance about two Americans stranded in Tokyo is a work of marvelous delicacy – and offers the performance of Bill Murray’s career.” – Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
“Tart and sweet, unmistakably funny and exceptionally well observed.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
“Well, I loved this movie. I loved the way Coppola and her actors negotiated the hazards of romance and comedy, taking what little they needed and depending for the rest on the truth of the characters.” – Roger Ebert
