-Ever-

Just got done watching it and I too think it was absolutely horrendous.
I think the story and idea had lots of potential though. The people who liked the film seem to like it for good reasons; It portrays lonliness and being 'lost' in foreign countries very well. Again, the story had potential. So as far as that goes, I give it a B. But you mustn't leave out comments on what else makes a film. The directing, the acting, and the overall visual image it portrays. I think it would have stayed much truer to the meaning the story was attempting to get across if the directing was much more rough and abstract. It was too clean and straightforeward. The acting was terrible as well. I wanted to laugh every time I saw Bill Murray. Who in their right mind would cast someone as universally funny as Murray in a serious film? C'mon now! I would have rather seen a no-name, depressed looking actor than Murray who is completely diametric to what his character would/should have been. There is simply no sence in (spending more money) casting an actor who is only known for his humor. Advertisement advertisement advertisement I accuse! I understand that the movie is supposed to be cute and a little black-comedic but any actor can warm an audience up.
One more comment. The build the story takes is terrible as well. It was filmed in chunks, meaning that Bill and the actress would be talking---change scene---then continue hours later in another setting, however Sophia seemed to forget about this and wrote the dialog at a real-time pace. Bill and the actress would run into eachother again and again and continue their complaint-filled conversations as if they had never left eachother. Chose one or the other Sophia! But I think she majorly F'ed up the development as the scene by scene and real-time conversations completely clashed.
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F. I would give it a D- but the unnecessary teasing of Tokyo lifestyle and culture was way too rash, especially because it was the only humor Sophia seemed to imply in her 'depressing but cheerfully funny' film.
-T

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