Movie Review: Lost in Translation

*Caution: Review contains spoilers*

I'm not surprised many people have expressed frustration at being lost during "Lost in Translation." I am surprised that it was nominated for so many awards including the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director, while it only took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Here are a few keys to this mystery.

This is the first major film by Francis Ford Coppola's daughter Sophia Coppola. Sure she directed "The Virgin Suicides" and "Lick the Star" but, as I said, this was her first major film. So, just like when someone spends $200 million dollars on his film you give him the Oscar so that you can get the same type of a budget, when one of the most powerful men in Hollywood's daughter puts out something that appears to be an artistic film, you at least nominate her work. Too bad it was up against Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King." Also known as the "Here are the Oscars you deserved before that we didn't give you because we knew you were making a trilogy" movie. I'd also like to add that Bill Murray has never won an Oscar and he's getting old. He'll continue to be nominated regardless of the quality of work he puts on the screen.

But why else didn't it win more Oscars? Here's a thought, written and directed by Sophia. This movie could have been twice as good as it was. Again, a rookie mistake to not trust another director with your baby.

Here's another reason: It was a movie. "Lost in Translation" tried very hard to be a film. To be an artistic statement regarding deep intellectual things. It failed.

This film captured a few things quite nicely: The isolation felt (and occasionally desired) when in a foreign culture. There is a very distinct feeling when you are in an atmosphere where you cannot read every advertisement and cannot understand every conversation being held around you. This is most noticed when you return to a culture that you understand. Though it seemed this film wanted to convey these emotions it missed an opportunity by not returning home with either character.

This film also expressed the susceptibility that marriages have to affairs when they are not one's first priority. I think that Ms. Coppola's aim was to have it appear as though these two people happened upon their illicit relationship. However, as I watched the film, it became clear to me that they were both looking for what they found and had they not found it with each other, they would have found it with someone else.

And so we come to the failures of this film. There were a few things that had to be verbalized because they were not communicated through the action of the movie. An example is that both of the main characters were suffering from travel insomnia. I didn't catch on to this until it was said.

Ms. Coppola relied on the supposed intellectual drama to provide the plot motion for this picture. It was insufficient. The lack of subplots and the predictable storyline leads one to ask, "Why was this movie made?" What is the point of this film? International affairs are acceptable? Most people feel helpless in foreign cities?

And finally, the largest and most disappointing failure of this film is found in the final scene. Bill Murray is headed to the airport to leave. He sees Scarlet Johanson's character on the street, stops the cab and runs to her. They gaze at each other meaningfully and he whispers something unintelligible in her hear. Some people have called this moment genius. I call it a cop-out. Why would this moment be private when every other second of their interaction was shared with the audience? Because Ms. Coppola doesn't know what he said. My guess is that he originally said something that test audiences hated and so instead of correcting her error by either altering what is said or removing the scene entirely, she simply removes his lines. They still communicate but what is said is hidden forever. Cop-out!

So, for those of you who have made it this far, and have seen the film, I have a question: If you remove the final scene, did they have an affair?

"Lost in Translation" is one of those sad movies that thinks it's a film. Movies that know they are movies ("A Knight's Tale" "Blue Streak"), though terrible, are less pitiful than movies that put on the guise of being a film. It is a story not worth telling and a movie not worth watching.

And that's just my opinion.