I totally understand the appeal this movie gets. What I don't get is people calling this one of the year's best and one of the best ever. In no way does this movie push the envelope for what cinema can do and in no way does this elicit extremely strong effects on the viewer. The effects on the viewer are normal, but nothing huge.
Francis Ford Coppola's daughter, Sofia, already made a name for herself as a director with the highly impressive "The Virgin Suicides" in 1999. Four years later, she makes her most decorated film-a movie that isn't really about anything, other than exploring loneliness.
Bill Murray shines in arguably his best performance (this is his most serious) as famous actor, Bob Harris. Tired and bored, Bob spends a few weeks in Tokyo doing a commercial. We get to know Bob pretty well.
Bob soon meets young Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson. A recent college grad, she is in Tokyo with her husband (Giovanni Ribisi) who is a photographer for a band touring the area. He is always with his clients, leaving her lonely too.
Bob and Charlotte's relationship is completely platonic. A blossoming romance would have been too awkward since they are really far apart in age. But a normal friendship is a good change of pace between a man and a woman.
Bob and Charlotte doing various activities together that are mildly interesting. Alone, what they do is also mildly interesting. (There is a scene with Bob and some Japanese woman pretending to be raped by him that is one of the most random scenes in film history).
One thing that this movie really has going for it is the lovely Tokyo setting. It is almost as if Coppola tries to make this avant-garde, making the setting a character that reflects Bob and Charlotte. If that's what she tried to do, she didn't do that good of a job. The bright lights are nice to look at, but that's it.
While we get to know Bob and Charlotte well, the movie goes nowhere. It is just a series of random events that make these two lost souls feel less lonely. That actually sounds nice, but the way Coppola conveys it is decent but not amazing.
Truth is, there is nothing amazing about this. The two leads are impressive, the look is nice, and that's it. Everything else is much too mild to spew over.
3/4
Francis Ford Coppola's daughter, Sofia, already made a name for herself as a director with the highly impressive "The Virgin Suicides" in 1999. Four years later, she makes her most decorated film-a movie that isn't really about anything, other than exploring loneliness.
Bill Murray shines in arguably his best performance (this is his most serious) as famous actor, Bob Harris. Tired and bored, Bob spends a few weeks in Tokyo doing a commercial. We get to know Bob pretty well.
Bob soon meets young Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson. A recent college grad, she is in Tokyo with her husband (Giovanni Ribisi) who is a photographer for a band touring the area. He is always with his clients, leaving her lonely too.
Bob and Charlotte's relationship is completely platonic. A blossoming romance would have been too awkward since they are really far apart in age. But a normal friendship is a good change of pace between a man and a woman.
Bob and Charlotte doing various activities together that are mildly interesting. Alone, what they do is also mildly interesting. (There is a scene with Bob and some Japanese woman pretending to be raped by him that is one of the most random scenes in film history).
One thing that this movie really has going for it is the lovely Tokyo setting. It is almost as if Coppola tries to make this avant-garde, making the setting a character that reflects Bob and Charlotte. If that's what she tried to do, she didn't do that good of a job. The bright lights are nice to look at, but that's it.
While we get to know Bob and Charlotte well, the movie goes nowhere. It is just a series of random events that make these two lost souls feel less lonely. That actually sounds nice, but the way Coppola conveys it is decent but not amazing.
Truth is, there is nothing amazing about this. The two leads are impressive, the look is nice, and that's it. Everything else is much too mild to spew over.
3/4