Lost in Translation (2003) on Netflix
Bob Harris, a fading movie star, arrives in Tokyo to shoot whiskey ads while his marriage sours. Charlotte, trailing her photographer husband, has no idea what to do with her life.
- Netflix3.2/5
- IMDb7.7/10534,911 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes95%
Trailer
Plot summary
Bob Harris, a fading American movie star, flies to Tokyo to film lucrative advertisements for Suntory's Hibiki whiskey. He is burned out, in a midlife crisis and unhappy in his twenty-five-year marriage, and jet lag and culture shock keep him awake. Charlotte, a young Yale philosophy graduate, is in Tokyo with her husband John, a celebrity photographer on assignment; she questions her marriage and worries about her future. Both pass their sleepless hours around the Park Hyatt Tokyo, where Charlotte tries ikebana and meets Kelly, an actress promoting a film at the hotel. Bob and Charlotte keep crossing paths, and after several encounters they begin talking in the hotel bar.
Cast
- Kazuko Shibataas Press Agent
- Takeas Press Agent
- Ryuichiro Babaas Concierge
- Akira Yamaguchias Bellboy
Show all 20 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Lost in Translation (2003)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Coppola envisioned Murray playing the role of Bob from the beginning and tried to recruit him for months. He eventually agreed to play the part but did not sign a contract, and Coppola spent a quarter of the film's $4 million budget without knowing if he would arrive.
- Murray had an 800 number for prospective clients interested in casting him, but a reputation as a recluse who was difficult to contact. Coppola pursued him relentlessly with telephone messages and letters for months, and recruited screenwriter Mitch Glazer, a longtime friend of Murray's, to take an early version of the script to him and try to persuade him.
- Initially worried that the 17-year-old Johansson might be too young to play a character in her twenties, Coppola concluded that she appeared older and could convincingly play the part, and offered her the role without an audition.
- On public streets and subways the production did not secure filming permits and relied on city bystanders as extras. Coppola described the shooting as “documentary-style” and was worried at times about getting stopped by police, so she kept a minimal crew.
SPOILER
Coppola was unhappy with the dialogue she had scripted for the final goodbye between Bob and Charlotte, so Murray improvised the whisper in Johansson's ear. Too quiet to be understandable, it could have been dubbed, but Coppola decided it was better that it “stays between the two of them”.- Shields had released little music since Loveless in 1991 when Coppola enlisted him to help write original music for the film. He spent some two months of overnight recording sessions in London, using the screenplay and dailies from production as inspiration while working on the songs.
- In January 2004 the Asian American organization Asia Media Watch launched a nationwide campaign petitioning the Academy and other industry groups to vote against Lost in Translation in all awards categories. Its spokesperson suggested the campaign may have influenced the Screen Actors Guild vote, where the favorite, Bill Murray, was defeated by Johnny Depp.
