{image1}In the wake of "The Godfather III" Sofia Coppola became little more than the punch line to a lot of jokes. Her critically-acclaimed film, "The Virgin Suicides," changed all of that and now "Lost in Translation," which Coppola wrote and directed, seems set to erase any memory of the mousey little girl in her dad's ill-advised third mobster movie.
Usually a film as hyped in advance as "Lost in Translation" can't live up to the press. But Coppola's portrait of two souls seeking solace and encouragement is a fine one.
Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an American movie star in Japan for a $2 million job promoting a brand of whiskey. Harris is out of his element, unfamiliar with Japanese customs and barely able to speak his hosts' stilted English. He's lost at sea until he encounters Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson).
Charlotte is in the same hotel with her husband John (Giovanni Ribisi), who is working as a photographer. Not only is Charlotte uncomfortable in Japan, she's uncomfortable in her marriage of two years and directionless in life, after recently graduating from Yale.
While it's predictable that Charlotte and Bob will find one another, their relationship is anything but what one expects from a Hollywood feature. The two have dinner, they have drinks, they meet at the pool. But the towels don't drop right off and the drinks don't immediately lead them into bed.
Instead they enjoy each other's company and they seek to find what motivates one another. Bob is having a mid-life crisis and only really sees it when Charlotte tells him so. Charlotte is young and fears for the future. Bob's experience can provide guidance.
"Lost in Translation" has no fight scenes, no car chases, no steamy sex (although there are a few revealing moments, so keep the kids away). But, the low-key story is bolstered by the scenery of bustling Tokyo, which provides some simmering visuals and a taste of a cosmopolitan city. As you'd expect from any film starring Murray, there are also a few riotously funny bits.
While Murray and Johansson turn in fabulous performances, Ribisi -- who was great in last year's "Heaven" -- fails to infuse any passion or vigor into his role as the inattentive and vaguely untrustworthy John.
But, that aside, Coppola has scored a second time and perhaps "Lost in Translation" suggests she's found her niche in Hollywood, and it's a place behind the scenes rather than in them.
"Lost in Translation" opens Fri., Sept. 26 at Landmark's Oriental Theatre.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
