Lost in Translation

Name: Lost in Translation
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: September 12, 2003
Duration: 102 min
Rating: 91
Cast: Bill Murray, Giovanni Ribisi, Scarlett Johansson

2003

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 44 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 789 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 789 Ratings

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Lost In Translation

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Home Entertainment | Release Date: September 12, 2003 | R

Starring: Bill Murray, Giovanni Ribisi, Scarlett Johansson

Summary: Unable to sleep, Bob (Murray) and Charlotte (Johansson), two Americans in Tokyo, cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, and ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities.Unable to sleep, Bob (Murray) and Charlotte (Johansson), two Americans in Tokyo, cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, and ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities. (Focus Features)… Expand

Director: Sofia Coppola

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 102 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

David Rooney

The film's unhurried pace will target it for discerning audiences only, but its wry humor and coolly amused observation of contemporary Japan should score with smart urbanites. Read full review

100

Lou Lumenick

It's impossible to conceive of this ruefully funny entertainment without Bill Murray, who is nothing less than brilliant. Read full review

100

James Berardinelli

Simply put, Sofia Copolla's Lost in Translation is an amazing motion picture. Read full review

Kirk Honeycutt

The movie contains priceless slapstick from Bill Murray, finely tuned performances by Murray and the beautiful Scarlett Johansson and a visual and aural design that cultivates a romantic though melancholy mood. Read full review

Richard Corliss

Watch Murray's eyes in the climactic scene in the hotel lobby: while hardly moving, they express the collapsing of all hopes, the return to a sleepwalking status quo. You won't find a subtler, funnier or more poignant performance this year than this quietly astonishing turn. Read full review

Jack Mathews

A smartly written, confidently directed film that delivers big laughs while developing two of the year's most earnest characters and some of its most rewarding sentiments. Read full review

Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf

Coppola hasn't delivered a turkey--it's a cute little movie, if not as rich as her brother Roman's similarly themed "CQ"--but when work this potentially satisfying remains flatly obvious, it's almost worse than being flat-out bad. Read full review

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User Reviews

Dec 29, 2009

One of the greatest films ever made and probably the greatest by an American director. If S. Coppola continues to make films anywhere close to the standard of this masterpiece she could be considered alongside the masters of modern cinema such as Rohmer and Antonioni.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

Lena_something

Aug 22, 2019

Everything about this movie flows so naturally that sometimes I forget it's only a movie and it's only acting. What makes this movie so special anyway? The little details? The unspoken words that resonate clearly to the audience? The reflection we see of ourselves in those teo characters?Everything about this movie flows so naturally that sometimes I forget it's only a movie and it's only acting. What makes this movie so special anyway? The little details? The unspoken words that resonate clearly to the audience? The reflection we see of ourselves in those teo characters? Whatever it is, i love it… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ryancarroll88

Aug 27, 2010

If "Titanic" was the iconic bloated romance novel of movies, then "Lost in Translation" is the quiet, poignant poem that is all the more affecting because of that.

23 of 28 users found this helpful235

ahmedaiman9999

Aug 7, 2018

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Her. Both of these movies have style, themes, or ideas which are similar to that Lost in Translation has. Therefore, either of them would make perfect bittersweet double feature with Lost in Translation. And I loved these two movies so much; however,Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Her. Both of these movies have style, themes, or ideas which are similar to that Lost in Translation has. Therefore, either of them would make perfect bittersweet double feature with Lost in Translation. And I loved these two movies so much; however, I have some issues with each one of them.

Don't get me wrong; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind's script is more genuine and creative, but the main issue I have with it is that it lost its balance between humor and subtle pathos at some point. Lost in Translation, by contrast, doesn't have this problem. In fact, the perfect balance between humor and melancholy. The movie deals with heavy themes such as loneliness, insomnia, emptiness, existential crisis, and more hefty themes, but nonetheless the movie never feels gloomy or bleak. Actually there are some funny moments due to the movie's smart dialogue that made me laugh many times.

As for Her, I think it is a very unique, and has an idiosyncratic style and screenplay, except for its third act. It chose a familiar and conventional way to end its one-of-a-kind story. That didn't just disappointed me, but that also made the movie feels inconsistent near the end. For a moment, I felt that Sofia Coppola would make the same mistake in Lost in Translation. That's because at some point at the third there was a scene that feels if it sets a subplot that would end the movie in a stereotypical way. And I think this was an unnecessary and manipulative. Also, this is the only main issue I have with Lost in Translation. This movie is bittersweet, but its ending is Just Like Honey!

Both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson at the top of their games. They may gave their best performances in their respective career. Scarlett Johansson did a great job in playing the Philosophy graduate Charlotte who is twenty-something. I felt she's really at this age. As for Bill Murray, his role is far more complicated, and he just killed it! I've never seen him giving such a powerful serious performance. His character suffers from something like a midlife crisis, and there are many great actors played characters like this before. But Murray's terrific comedic abilities adds to this character, and made it more complex, yet more amiable.

Aside from the fact that this movie looks gorgeous, it's exquisitely directed by the talented director, Sofia Coppola. Just try to notice the visual tools, how they work, and utilized, and what they imply. You will find out that Lost in Translation is a well-directed as it's a well-written film, maybe the direction is what deserves the highest praise. Also, the movie is consistent in tone. As I mentioned, the balance between between humor and sadness, and while the smart screenplay has a major in that, the meticulous direction has a role that isn't, by any means, less important. The soundtrack is sweetly hypnotic! This is now one of my favorite soundtracks put in film. The words of every song match the current state in every different phase in the movie.

I loved Lost in Translation so much! I can't praise it highly enough, or maybe I can, it's Manhattan of the 21st century!

(9/10)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ChadD.

Apr 6, 2007

It took me a 2-3 views to really appreciate all this movie has to offer. There is so much that is unspoken and even unseen. If quiet, visceral films are not your thing; if you prefer stories that are more linear and "eventful," you should probably skip this one. It requires a little It took me a 2-3 views to really appreciate all this movie has to offer. There is so much that is unspoken and even unseen. If quiet, visceral films are not your thing; if you prefer stories that are more linear and "eventful," you should probably skip this one. It requires a little patience and for you to allow some personal investment, but will reward you for allowing it to seep in.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

Halfwelshman

Jul 22, 2012

Lost in Translation is thoroughly disappointing. It appears to be pretty much universally praised, yet it's a flawed film. I'll concede that it's beautifully filmed, that Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson give great performances and that the relationship between their two characters isLost in Translation is thoroughly disappointing. It appears to be pretty much universally praised, yet it's a flawed film. I'll concede that it's beautifully filmed, that Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson give great performances and that the relationship between their two characters is sweet and endearing, as a tale of two lost souls finding a connection is always compelling. Despite these positives, the film puts forward an extremely patronising, stereotypical and borderline racist view of Japanese culture. By depicting a steady procession of carefully cherry-picked Japanese "oddities", it's almost like the film's main objective is to say "hey, come laugh at the silly Japanese, they're not like Americans at all". A recurring joke in the film is the mockery of Japanese speech pattern of the replacement of the letter r with the letter l. This gag is barely funny the first time it is used, but it is reprised four or five times throughout the film. In one of the key "comedy" scenes, Murray's character struggles to understand a heavily accented Japanese director during a photo shoot, and his mimicry of the poor man's voice to decipher each instruction isn't funny, just embarrassing, akin to the lack of logic behind an English-speaking tourist abroad raising his voice to make themselves understood to non-English speakers. To make matters even worse, the film is all-too-often slow or just plain boring. Beyond great chemistry between Murray and Johansson and striking aesthetics, the appeal of Lost in Translation is, well, lost in translation chiefly thanks to some criminal cultural insensitivity that really shouldn't be applauded in the modern world.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

Something

Sep 10, 2005

The worst film ever made. Boring, pointless, meandering garbage that feels as though it was conceived by an infant. Sofia's dumb script is so tedious that the movie becomes instantly forgettable. I would sooner watch Deuce Bigalow 2. The makers of that film put more effort into it than The worst film ever made. Boring, pointless, meandering garbage that feels as though it was conceived by an infant. Sofia's dumb script is so tedious that the movie becomes instantly forgettable. I would sooner watch Deuce Bigalow 2. The makers of that film put more effort into it than anyone did in "Lost In Translation", which should have been lost in a dumpster.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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4	#4 Best Movie of 2003
5	#5 Most Discussed Movie of 2003
18	#18 Most Shared Movie of 2003