| Major Cast | |
|---|---|
| Scarlett Johannson | as Charlotte |
| Bill Murray | as Bob Harris |
| Akiko Takeshita | as Ms. Kawasaki |
| Kasuyoshi Minimimagoe | as Press Agent |
| Kazuko Shibata | as Press Agent |
| Take | as Press Agent |
| Ryuichiro Baba | as Concierge |
| Akira Yamaguchi | as Bellboy |
| Catherine Lambert | as Jazz Singer |
| Francois du Bois | as Sausalito Piano |
| Tim Leffman | as Sausalito Guitar |
| Gregory Pekar | as American Businessman #1 |
| Richard Allen | as American Businessman #2 |
| Giovanni Ribisi | as John |
| Yutaka Tadokoro | as Commercial Director |
| MPAA Rating: | R |
| Production Company: | Focus Features Tohokushinsha Film Corporation American Zoetrope Elemental Films |
| Distributors (US): | Focus Features (Theatrical) Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, HD DVD) |
| Release Date (USA): | 3 October 2003 |
| Running Time: | 102 minutes |
| Languages: | English; German; Japanese; French |
| Production Budget: | $4,000,000 (est.) |
| Domestic Box Office: | $44,585,453 |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $119,723,856 |
Once a popular film star in America, Bob Harris is reduced to doing commercials. Now he flies into Tokyo to do a commercial for a Japanese brand of whiskey. Struggling to understand instructions given mostly in Japanese, he endures repeated takes and spends the time between shoots in his room watching TV, or at the hotel bar. He has trouble sleeping and is really fed up with the gig, but sticks with it. He calls his wife of 25 years back in the states a time or two, but it's cold comfort.
Another room in the hotel is occupied by Charlotte and her new husband John. He is a photographer who gets a lot of assignments at remote locations. At such times he leaves her on her own, because his budget won't allow travel for two.
It's nothing unusual that Bob and Charlotte meet and take to each other. They spend time talking and soon Charlotte is dragging him out to meet her friends for conversation and karaoke. This occasions some surprises, like having to run from a paintball attack. Their bond grows, but never to the point of physical intimacy — until the very end, when they embrace and share a kiss as Bob heads for his flight home.
Sofia Coppola's comedy is offbeat and bittersweet. It is more a series of vignettes than a traditionally plotted film, but it works in that form. I confess I had trouble getting into it; that's more a matter of my mode at the time. I did notice that Bill Murray is great as the much put-upon fading movie star; his low-key performance is unlike his previous work in e.g. Ghostbusters. Scarlett Johannson is also very good in a role unlike those she had in Under the Skin, say, or Eight-Legged Freaks. I'll definitely watch it again. Judging by its IMDB rating, and the fact that it had four Academy Award nominations, I suspect I'll like it better.
My Rating:
8 out of 10
Capsule review: This bittersweet film gives us a series of episodes in the lives of two people temporarily at loose ends in Tokyo due to professional and personal obligations. There's not much drama in it, but the low-key performances by the two principals as they deal with boredom, insomnia, and offbeat events make it enjoyable nevertheless.
| IMDB Rating: 7.8 | Raters: 361,225 |
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