As some of you probably know, Sophia Coppola seems to be more commonly known for her very well hated performance as Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III. Now why that's the case I'll save for if I finally get around to reviewing it myself to finish that marathon of reviewing all the best picture nominees from 1990. Now this is something that is very well known to me, which is where I was intrigued to learn that while she's terrible as an actress see seems to also the known to be very good as a writer and director. So with that said, here's what I thought of her most well known film that she both wrote and directed that got so far as becoming nominated for best picture: Lost in Translation.
Plot: Bob Harris is an again American actor who is visiting Japan to shoot a commercial. He's experiencing a midlife crisis where he feels tired and is not really going anywhere with his marriage with his wife. But then he meets a young college graduate named Charlotte who also feels stuck as she is also visiting Japan because her neglectful husband who is a celebrity photographer is a assigned in Tokyo. The two people start to form a friendship as they start to hang out and explore Tokyo while trying to forget about their lives.
Alright. Now I pretty much see how people see a new light about Coppola after this film despite Godfather Part III. I mean it's not the most original film I've ever seen, but for what she gave us, it was still original enough that I can see why she won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It wasn't really predictable, the characters were believable, and I think Doug Walker said it best on his list of his personal top 20 favorite movies that it's not really telling a story so much as taking you on an experience. Billy Murry and Scarlett Johansson gave some very good performances. While I do honestly find it hard to believe that Murry was considered good enough to even be nominated for Best Actor, I will agree that it is nice to see him in a more serious role then what we usually get from him. Scarlett Johansson also gave us a very likable performance...but if there's one issue I had with her, it would be how practically every other scene is having her in her hotel room wearing just her underwear and her shirt. I guess the distraction primarily comes from how Johansson is getting a ton of publicity about her body after The Avengers, and it's gotten to the point where I probably would've believed it if this film was actually made right after that particular film. Especially with how the beginning of the film surprisingly starts with just this sort of medium close-up of just her rear while the intro credits play. Just why? What kind of purpose was that trying to carry out while you're about to tell us a story about these two people? I'm sure she had plenty of publicity long before Avengers, but I really so no other reason why to have that as a film. But considering I'm a guy who prefers not to stare at women's rears either in film or in real life, I guess I could be making a bigger deal about it then what most people would care to, so I digress with that being said. So anyway, the film is also very fun to see when we're looking at all the different things to look at in Tokyo from the people, music, food and especially the different kind of places they come across. I think the most memorable scene for me would be when they're just lying down on top of the bed and just reflecting what is going on with their life. A lot of what Murry says there sound like a very good way to look at a lot of things in life both the positive and the negative...at least as far as I can tell despite being just a 23-year old film student.
And that's my review for Lost in Translation. I may have my own goofy issue with what they do with Scarlett Johansson, but it still is a very good that had original writing, great acting, and just took you on an experience with Tokyo and looking at life from the two main characters. It's not so good that it really stood a chance against The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for best picture (*snickers* the very idea...), but it's still a very good film that I would recommend.
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