Not sure what all the hype was about this movie. It's about a middle-aged American actor Bob Harris played by Bill Murray. He gets an offer of 2 million dollars to do a whiskey commercial in Japan. He has a wife and two kids. Through the phone conversations, it seems that their is trouble in paradise. Staying in the same hotel is another American named Charlotte played by Scarlett Johnson. She's a newlywed (been married for 2 years) fresh out of Yale. Her husband is a photographer and was sent there for a job assignment. While he is away working, Charlotte tries to find herself. Most of the time we see her wandering around Japan. Visiting temples. Charlotte and Bob first meet in a crowded elevator. Then she sees him at the hotel bar. They strike up a conversation and actually keep each other company during Bob's stay.
Bob is busy making a commercial and doing photo shots for the Japanese whiskey. He even went on a David Letterman talk show Japanese style. I have to admit that their commercials and advertisements are very colorful and lively. The city of Tokyo is well lit with bright lights and big screen advertisements. The streets are full of people. Taking a train there can be very difficult. I knew a few people who have gone to Japan and they mention about the train system.
Aside from the nice background of the mountain with Bob playing golf. Of course it's a back drop and not really the real thing. This movie wasn't that appealing to me. After reading countless reviews on this film not one mention of the terrible camera shots of the microphone showing towards the end of the film. It was obvious that the sound mike was showing. The picture was even edited weird. The bottom of the film was showing on the top of the screen. I wonder if it's the movie reel or was this done in purpose. It was poorly filmed.
