Romantic comedy not lost in translation

Lost In Translation: Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an American actor visiting Tokyo to film some advertisements for a whiskey company.

Despite his $2m paycheck he’s not a happy bunny.

He’s bored with his wife, he’s bored with his life and, worst of all, he can’t get a wink of sleep.

He spends most of his spare time in the hotel’s bar drinking the whiskey he’s being paid to advertise.

Then one night he meets a fellow insomniac, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who is in Tokyo with her rock photographer husband John (Giovanni Ribisi).

She loves her husband, but she’s bored in Tokyo because he’s always working.

The fact that he spends his days working with a sexy American actress Kelly (Anna Faris) doesn’t help matters.

Bob and Charlotte’s new relationship is based on insomnia and the need for someone to talk to as they try to while away the hours.

The more they talk the more they realise they have so much in common, and despite an age gap of about 30 years, their friendship grows.

While it never crosses the line into an affair, Bob and Charlotte’s relationship develops into a very special kind of romance.

Just like Bob and Charlotte’s romance, Lost In Translation is more than a little off-beat and it will leave you either with a tear in your eye or a very puzzled look on your face.

For me the excellent performances of Murray and Johansson make this one well worth watching.

Romance, 15. 3/5