Lost in Translation

This sophomore effort from director Sofia Coppola shows that she is a true force to be reckoned with. Bill Murray, in a role written for him by Coppola, plays an American actor who is in Tokyo to cash in on a whiskey endorsement. While slumming around his posh hotel, he meets a young married woman (Scarlett Johansson), and the two set out on adventures together. One of the sweeter romances of recent memory, Coppola deserves high marks for not copping the usual trends and formulas. Murray is remarkable here, and it will be a crime if he is once again snubbed for an Oscar nomination. Johansson is shockingly good as his traveling partner. The romance they share in this film is too precious to be described. It must be seen.