---
title: "Lost in Translation"
year: 2003
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/lost-in-translation"
fi1m_id: "lost-in-translation"
imdb_id: "tt0335266"
tmdb_id: 153
wikidata_id: "Q107270"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 87
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-09-14"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:45.789682+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Lost in Translation (2003)

Directed by Sofia Coppola · 1h 42m · MPA R · Drama, Comedy, Romance

## Identity

Lost in Translation

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/lost-in-translation
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** lost-in-translation
- **IMDb ID:** tt0335266
- **TMDB ID:** 153
- **Wikidata ID:** Q107270
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/153, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107270

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 87 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Bill Murray looks too tired to fall in love, which turns out to be a useful starting point

> Sofia Coppola makes a funny, affecting romance from two people struggling to explain themselves. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson reward the patience it asks for, though the Japanese characters deserve more of the attention given to its leads.

## Synopsis

Bob Harris (Bill Murray), a weary film star, is in Tokyo, where Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a younger woman unhappy in her marriage, is also feeling out of place. Short of sleep and out of step with their surroundings, they find company in each other. They talk about their lives and share feelings they have difficulty putting into words, while attraction complicates their friendship. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, *Lost in Translation* follows their growing closeness through a city that neither feels at home in.

## Review

Sofia Coppola gives *Lost in Translation* a small task and takes it seriously: persuade us that two lonely people might feel less stranded in each other’s company. Bob Harris is a weary actor in Tokyo; Charlotte is younger, unhappily married and uncertain about what comes next. Their attraction develops through talk and the hesitations around it, without the usual hurry to turn closeness into sex. This is a funny, affecting romance, and its quietness mostly earns the attention it asks for.

Bill Murray is especially good at making Bob’s weariness funny without asking us to applaud his disenchantment. The dry delivery could easily become a way of standing above everybody else, but there is enough warmth beneath it to suggest someone who would rather stop being lonely than win another exchange. We believe that Charlotte might want to spend time with him. Coppola gives him room to be amusing and does not require a joke at the end of every conversation.

Scarlett Johansson has the harder job, since Charlotte’s unhappiness offers fewer immediate comic rewards. She keeps the character’s uncertainty from becoming a request for our sympathy, and the difference in age never seems sufficient explanation for their interest in each other. We were more moved than we expected by the karaoke scene. Murray and Johansson make taking part in the same small pleasure feel like a risk, with the attraction carried by their attention to each other.

Lance Acord’s cinematography gives Tokyo the slightly unreal look that suits this shortage of sleep. The city can feel remote even when it fills the screen, a convincing match for Bob and Charlotte’s difficulty settling into their surroundings. Production designers Anne Ross and K.K. Barrett help sustain the feeling of being somewhere that never quite becomes home. We understand why these two might feel adrift here, although we sometimes wanted Coppola to look beyond what the surroundings do for her visitors.

Sarah Flack’s editing allows the performances to remain hesitant, and we rarely feel a cut arriving simply to get the story moving. That patience is useful in a romance built around people who cannot readily explain what they want, though a few stretches linger after the feeling is clear. Kevin Shields’s music suits the drowsiness and uncertain pleasure of their company. The danger is that each element makes the same mood so agreeable that the film can seem reluctant to disturb it.

The more substantial flaw is Coppola’s uneven generosity. The Japanese characters are too often asked to supply the strangeness against which Bob and Charlotte recognise each other, and the comedy sometimes settles for their bewilderment when it could have been more curious about its cause. We do not need a romance to become a survey of Tokyo, but we do need the people around its lovers to seem worth knowing. The film’s patience with its leads makes that lack of interest harder to excuse.

Within a romantic comedy, this much hesitation can be a pleasure: Coppola lets uncertainty last long enough for us to recognise it. Murray and Johansson keep the film from becoming merely languid, because their company feels welcome even when neither has anything decisive to say. At 102 minutes, it has time to be quiet without demanding an evening’s devotion. Give it a quiet evening, and resist the temptation to fill the silences yourself.

*Fi1m score 86, published 14 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The consensus is strongly positive, with praise centred on Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson’s restrained performances and Sofia Coppola’s handling of loneliness, humour and tentative intimacy. Most critics find Murray’s weary warmth particularly affecting, while Johansson earns praise for making her character’s unhappiness felt without overstatement. The reviews repeatedly credit Coppola with allowing the connection to develop through shared feelings and small observations, and with making Tokyo’s disorientating surroundings an important part of the film’s melancholy and comedy.

The differences are chiefly in the degree of enthusiasm rather than any fundamental disagreement about the film’s merits. Even the more measured responses admire the performances and the balance of sadness and humour; substantial reservations are scarce in these accounts. Eye for Film offers a specific caveat, finding the portrayal of Japanese characters and culture somewhat condescending, while still describing the film as touching and surprisingly funny.

## Straight answers

**Is Lost in Translation worth watching?**

*Lost in Translation* is worth watching for anyone who can enjoy a romance built on hesitation rather than plot, and we scored it 86. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson make two lonely people's company feel welcome even when neither says anything decisive. Our reservation is that the Japanese characters are too often used as background strangeness, which is harder to forgive in a film so patient with its leads.

**How long is Lost in Translation, and what is it rated?**

*Lost in Translation* runs 1h 42m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and comedy film.

**Where can I watch Lost in Translation in the US?**

*Lost in Translation* is not on any streaming or rental service in the US at the moment. It is available in 15 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Lost in Translation, and is it suitable for children?**

*Lost in Translation* is not violent or frightening; it is a quiet romance between a weary film star and an unhappily married younger woman in Tokyo, certified 15 in the UK and R in the US. The certificate reflects adult themes and language rather than anything alarming on screen. It suits older teenagers, but younger children will find it slow and its unhappiness beyond them.

**How does Lost in Translation compare to Brief Encounter?**

*Lost in Translation* and [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) are both romances in which two people struggle to say what they feel, but Sofia Coppola's film is drowsier and funnier, while David Lean's is tighter and more painful. We rate Lean's film higher; it is one we would urge a stranger to see. Choose Coppola for wry, sleepless company and Lean for a love affair that frightens the people in it.

**What should I watch after Lost in Translation?**

After *Lost in Translation*, try [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) (1945, Fi1m 90): An interrupted romance where the smallest courtesies become difficult to bear. Then [*In the Mood for Love*](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love) (2000, Fi1m 91): A patient romance that lets rooms, clothes and silences carry the feeling; and [*Before Sunrise*](https://film.one/film/before-sunrise) (1995, Fi1m 89): Two strangers talk their way towards intimacy, with time working against them.

### Reviews we read (14)

- **Radio Times**, Adam Smith (5/5): The critic praises Bill Murray's delicately restrained and masterful performance as world-weary actor Bob Harris and Scarlett Johansson's equally good turn as the unhappily married younger woman. Coppola underpins the bittersweet soul-searching with humour and produces a sad, funny, magical and almost irresistibly moving experience using the Tokyo backdrop. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5pqha9/lost-in-translation/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): The critic praises the film as sweet, sad, sardonic and funny, highlighting the connection between two lost souls in Tokyo who share personal feelings rather than rushing into a physical relationship. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lost-in-translation-2003)
- **Empire**, Rob Fraser (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a triumph that restores faith in cinema, praising its eloquent handling of themes like alienation and connection alongside comedy and romance. They single out the delicate beauty of the growing romance, especially the electric karaoke lounge moment between Murray and Johansson. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lost-translation-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Neil Norman (85/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a marvellous, exquisite movie and one of the films of the year, lauding Coppola's assured direction and command of film grammar from slim material. They single out Murray's layered, best screen performance as the wearily bewildered actor alongside Johansson's luminous, understated turn. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/sleepless-in-tokyo-7437451.html)
- **Screen Daily** (85/100, inferred): Sofia Coppola proves she is a chip off the old block with an enormously accomplished, highly affecting story of loneliness and human connection possessing originality, style and generosity. It singles out the extraordinary Tokyo setting as the third star of the film along with two superior performances from Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/lost-in-translation/4014771.article)
- **Variety** (85/100, inferred): The review describes the film as generating an out-of-body feeling with perceptiveness and maturity, coaxing an evocative sense of unarticulated sentiments through its two central performances and wry observation of contemporary Japan. [Read](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/lost-in-translation-6-1200539681/)
- **The New Yorker**, David Denby (80/100, inferred): The critic notes Coppola's observational style and praises Murray's quiet, wary, subtly acid yet warm performance as a movie star adrift in Tokyo, highlighting the film's focus on melancholy and unarticulated desire. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/09/15/heartbreak-hotels)
- **Time Out**, NB (80/100, inferred): Sofia Coppola's film is a deft, manifold delight, a comedy of dislocation framing a love story bound up in existential melancholy. It singles out Bill Murray's infinitely modulated performance as underpinning the film, with Scarlett Johansson also impressing. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/lost-in-translation)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez: Coppola's follow-up to The Virgin Suicides finds two lost souls connecting amid Tokyo's alienating yet seductive landscape. The director captures the humor and melancholy of cultural dislocation without contempt, celebrating personal growth through subtle visual and tonal mastery. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/lost-in-translation/)
- **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin: The film is an audacious dramatic comedy suffused with bittersweet melancholy, driven by Murray and Johansson's electric chemistry and Coppola's strong mastery of tone. Gorgeously shot, it establishes Coppola as a major filmmaker while reconfirming the leads' depth and power. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/lost-in-translation-1798198878)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic calls it an insouciant triumph and a funky little Brief Encounter for the new century, praising Coppola for conjuring a terrifically funny, heartbreakingly sad and swooningly romantic movie from almost nowhere with lightness of touch and intelligent direction. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/jan/09/lost-in-translation-review)
- **The New York Times**, Elvis Mitchell (Critic’s Pick): The review calls the film a touching comic melodrama that connects with classic yearning stories and celebrates dislocated people discovering life amid sleep deprivation, singling out Bill Murray's performance. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/movies/film-review-an-american-in-japan-making-a-connection.html)
- **The Times**, James Christopher: The critic praises the beguiling Japanese brief encounter as more culturally honest than The Last Samurai, highlighting Murray’s funny, flaky performance as a has-been star and Johansson’s potent, languid portrayal of anguished loneliness in a modern limbo. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/north-america-travel/us-travel/california/lost-in-translation-review-3q3htpwrtzx)
- **Eye for Film**, David Haviland (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film touching and surprisingly funny, praising the understated performances of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson along with the surreal, dream-like quality of its Tokyo setting. Minor reservations are noted about the film's condescending portrayal of Japanese characters and culture. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/lost-in-translation-film-review-by-david-haviland)

## Details

- **Director:** Sofia Coppola
- **Director:** Sofia Coppola
- **Writer:** Sofia Coppola
- **Cinematography:** Lance Acord
- **Editor:** Sarah Flack
- **Music:** Kevin Shields, Roy Hawkins
- **Production design:** K.K. Barrett, Anne Ross
- **Costume design:** Nancy Steiner
- **Producer:** Sofia Coppola, Ross Katz
- **Cast:** Bill Murray as Bob Harris; Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte; Giovanni Ribisi as John; Anna Faris as Kelly; Akiko Takeshita as Ms. Kawasaki; Kazuyoshi Minamimagoe as Press Agent; Kazuko Shibata as Press Agent; Take as Press Agent
- **Runtime:** 1h 42m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 18 September 2003
- **Genres:** Drama, Comedy, Romance
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2003); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2003); [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Winner, 2003); [Films where the soundtrack is the real star](https://film.one/collections/soundtrack-is-the-star.md)
- **Budget:** $4 million
- **Box office:** $120 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s4YQqnbnM8

## Where to watch in the US

Not streaming, renting or buying in the US at the last check.

Also available in: AR, BG, CL, CO, CZ, HR, HU, KR, LT, MY, NZ, PL, RO, RS, SI. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Bodil Award for Best American Film 2005: Bodil Award for Best American Film (won)
- César Award for Best Foreign Film 2005: César Award for Best Foreign Film (won)
- Academy Awards 2004: Best Actor (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won)
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Foreign Film 2004: Australian Film Institute Award for Best Foreign Film (nominated)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2004: Best Direction (nominated); Best Film (nominated); Best Original Music (nominated); Best Original Screenplay (nominated); Best Actor in a Leading Role (won); Best Actress in a Leading Role (won); Best Editing (won)
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 2004: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (won)
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress 2004: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (nominated)
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography 2004: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography (won)
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Director 2004: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Director (nominated)
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay 2004: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay (won)
- Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor 2004: Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress 2004: Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress (nominated)
- Chlotrudis Award for Best Cinematography 2004: Chlotrudis Award for Best Cinematography (nominated)
- Chlotrudis Award for Best Director 2004: Chlotrudis Award for Best Director (won)
- Chlotrudis Award for Best Film 2004: Chlotrudis Award for Best Film (won)
- Chlotrudis Award for Best Original Screenplay 2004: Chlotrudis Award for Best Original Screenplay (won)
- Discover Screenwriting Award 2004: Discover Screenwriting Award (nominated)
- German Film Award for Best No-German Film 2004: German Film Award for Best No-German Film (won)
- Independent Spirit Awards 2004: Best Director (won); Best Male Lead (won); Best Screenplay (won)
- International Cinephile Society Award for Best Actor 2004: International Cinephile Society Award for Best Actor (won)
- International Cinephile Society Award for Best Film 2004: International Cinephile Society Award for Best Film (nominated)
- MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Female Performance 2004: MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Female Performance (nominated)
- MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance 2004: MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance (nominated)
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor 2004: Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress 2004: Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (nominated)
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Director 2004: Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Director (nominated)
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Film 2004: Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Film (nominated)
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay 2004: Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay (nominated)
- SAG Awards 2004: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy 2004: Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (won)
- Satellite Award for Best Director 2004: Satellite Award for Best Director (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay 2004: Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay (won)
- Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay 2004: Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay (won)
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor 2003: Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (won)
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress 2003: Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (won)
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director 2003: Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director (won)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 2003: Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (nominated)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 2003: Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- Critics' Choice Awards 2003: Best Actor (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Original and Adapted Screenplay (nominated)
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 2003: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Non-European Film 2003: European Film Award for Best Non-European Film (nominated)
- Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay 2003: Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay (won)
- Golden Globes 2003: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (won); Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (won); Best Screenplay (won)
- London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year 2003: London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year (nominated)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 2003: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor 2003: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography 2003: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography (nominated)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director 2003: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director (nominated)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film 2003: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film (nominated)
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor 2003: New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (won)
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director 2003: New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director (won)
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor 2003: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor (won)
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress 2003: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (nominated)
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director 2003: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Director (nominated)
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score 2003: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score (nominated)
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay 2003: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay (won)
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Picture 2003: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Picture (nominated)
- San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor 2003: San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (won)
- San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film 2003: San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film (won)
- Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 2003: Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (won)
- Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay 2003: Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay (won)
- Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 2003: Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (won)
- Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 2003: Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won)
- Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film 2003: Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film (won)
- Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor 2003: Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Director 2003: Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Director (won)
- Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 2003: Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won)
- Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay 2003: Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay (won)

## If you liked this

- *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90: An interrupted romance where the smallest courtesies become difficult to bear. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md)
- *In the Mood for Love* (2000), Fi1m 91: A patient romance that lets rooms, clothes and silences carry the feeling. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love.md)
- *Before Sunrise* (1995), Fi1m 89: Two strangers talk their way towards intimacy, with time working against them. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/before-sunrise.md)
- *Columbus* (2017), Fi1m 82: Another tentative connection, with buildings given as much attention as faces. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/columbus.md)
- *Fallen Leaves* (2023), Fi1m 83: Lonely adults attempt romance with dry humour and limited room for manoeuvre. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fallen-leaves.md)

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/lost-in-translation