Lost in Translation

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Klingon Hamlet wrote: »

Dunno what to think of it. On the one hand Bill Murray was really fun to watch but also a bit sad. There were some really funny moments and I felt as lost as the characters. On the other hand I thought Johannsen wasn't all that likeable (intentionally?), and I felt like the characters spent more time moping and shrugging than actually doing anything about their lives...maybe the end of the film said things were gonna change for the better, but I'm just not sure.

There's been a lot of films lately that aim to focus on the mundane and mediocre. That highlight people's faults and vanities, and yes it makes them more believable, but sometimes I think it ruins the very point of cinema: escapism. I wanted to see more of the weirdness of Japan through Americanised eyes, and immerse myself. But these characters and their paper-thin plot tended to drag me away to their dull hotel rooms, where they looked longingly off toward a home they apparently didn't want to return to, but they didn't want to stay where they were either.

Maybe the points I'm making (if I am making any at all) would be the very reasons people like this movie. I just wanted more story, more humour, and less self-pity.

Your post is uncannily similar to one i posted a while back about this film here (merged with the main thread here).
Anyway, like you, i wasn't mad about the mopiness/self-absorption/self-indulgence of the characters (especially given their lot was not in any way insurmountable- some less kind observers might say "wtf, get over yourselves lads").

I found it difficult to care for Johansen's (sp?) character at all tbh.

Some of the dialogue between Murray and Johansen was pretty good and the scene on the bed was interesting.
I do wonder how much the

non-conventional (ie non-sexual/consummated)

aspect to their relationship has to do with the reverence for this film. Yeah it was refreshing to see but meh.
Anyway.

Edit: Having said all that, I am ambivalent about it because as Sad Professor mentions, the realism is captured well (through acting/direction).

johnny_ultimate

Threads merged as the same discussion has been had recently

A side note: I was in a club in Tokyo called Air last week, and a friend told me it was the same one they used in LiT. I promptly freaked out. We went downstairs and found the place Bob sits in when he's out with Charlotte's friends. I was one happy camper that night