Based on the memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon, Priscilla is the story of the life of the woman who would become the wife of Elvis Presley as she deals with being this object of affection for the King of Rock N’ Roll and later his wife to eventually divorcing him in 1973 in order to find herself. Written and directed for the screen by Sofia Coppola, the film is a bio-pic of sorts that explores the life of this teenage girl stationed in West Germany when she meets Presley as she would later become his wife and mother to their only child while also watch him be lost in the need to be this icon to many as Cailee Spaeny portrays Priscilla Beaulieu and Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley. Also starring Dagmara Dominczyk, Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll, Raine Monroe Boland, Emily Mitchell, Dan Beirne, Dan Abramovic, R Austin Ball, and Evan Annisette. Priscilla is a rapturous yet evocative film from Sofia Coppola.
From late 1959 the day Priscilla Beaulieu met Elvis Presley at a house party to their divorce in 1973, the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla has always been a fascinating relationship as they were two people who fell in love and wanted a life together. Yet, being the wife of the King of Rock N’ Roll was anything but a fairytale due to the constant demands of Elvis’ career both in music and film as well as an addiction to drugs, affairs with other women, surrounding himself with friends who have nothing better to do with lives, and Colonel Tom Parker’s iron grip into controlling many aspects of Presley’s career and personal life. For Priscilla, it was a tumultuous life as she is forced to watch from afar reading tabloids about Elvis’ affairs and not being allowed to have a say into his career and such. What Sofia Coppola does isn’t just showcase the rollercoaster relationship between Elvis and Priscilla but also show it from the perspective of the latter from the night they met when she was only 14 and he was 24 years old at the time.
Coppola’s screenplay does follow a straightforward narrative yet it doesn’t aim for anything conventional in playing into this relationship between this young girl whose stepfather in Captain Beaulieu (Ari Cohen) is stationed in West Germany where an air force officer offers Priscilla to come to a party to meet Elvis. It is in that party where this 14-year old military brat meets Elvis who is stationed in West Germany due to the draft as he is happy to meet someone younger who is from America. Though the idea of a 14-year old girl and a 24-year old man is definitely a bad idea for its time then and now. The fact that these are two young Americans who connect because they’re homesick while Elvis is also still grieving the loss of his mother while Priscilla definitely acts a lot more mature than most young girls. Another aspect of Presley that is unique is that he does ask the permission of Captain Beaulieu and Priscilla’s mother Ann (Dagmara Dominczyk) as he doesn’t force himself upon Priscilla as well as being gentlemanly towards her. There is a structure to the script as its first act is set from 1959 to the early 1960s when Priscilla arrives at Graceland and eventually moves there though Elvis is on-off at the house.
Its second act plays into their life at Graceland but also Priscilla changing her look to please Elvis as well as other things that proved to be chaotic and it lead to their wedding in 1967 that would be followed by the birth of their only daughter Lisa Marie. The third act is about the events afterwards as well as the dissolution of their marriage. Yet, it is largely told through Priscilla’s perspective as she is welcomed to Graceland with the love and care of people but it is also shielded from knowing things about Elvis’ business and providing any input into his career and such. The one time Elvis asks for her opinion on the songs he’s given, she is met with a near violent moment that Elvis quickly apologizes for. Coppola does showcase Presley as a seriously flawed individual who is also trying to create a fantasy of the life he would want with Priscilla but the demands of his career eventually would take a toll on everything. Especially for the fact that Priscilla is someone that wants to be there for him but he keeps pushing away to the point that she would find herself as well as make a decision about their lives.
Coppola’s direction definitely echoes a lot of the visual style she’s known for in terms of not just the compositions she creates as well as this sugar-coated, candy-colored atmosphere that the titular character lives in. It’s also in the fact that it is a film that is about a young woman trying to connect with this iconic figure in who he really is other than what the world sees him. Shot largely on location in Toronto due to budgetary constraints with some second unit work at Memphis, Tennessee for the exteriors of the Presley home known as Graceland. Coppola aims for a minimalist visual approach as it is shot largely on digital with some 8mm film footage relating to home moves that Elvis and Priscilla had shot during their marriage. There are some wide shots in the film including scenes in and out of Graceland including a shot of Elvis leaving to go on tour as the shot becomes a wider shot of Priscilla and Lisa Marie waving bye to Elvis. Yet, much of Coppola’s direction is intimate with the usage of medium shots and close-ups as the film opens with images of objects on the floor including a young Lisa Marie with painted toe nails.
Graceland is a major character in the film as it is this home that is idyllic in some respects with its lavish bedrooms, large dining rooms, big living rooms, and an office where a couple of women run Elvis’ fan club that intrigues Priscilla as she wants to help but Elvis’ father Vernon (Tim Post) says no. For all of its beauty from within, Graceland is also this place that is suffocating where not a lot happens whenever Elvis isn’t at home as it add to this sense of isolation and disconnect that Priscilla deals with. Notably as she can’t bring outsiders to Graceland including classmates at a Memphis Catholic high school that she attends for her senior year while whatever time she has with Elvis on a social level. However, that would include the Memphis Mafia and whatever girlfriends they’re with as a lot of them are in their 20s going into their 30s with Priscilla not even reaching 18 at that point as she would later marry Elvis at the age of 21 and lose her virginity to him at that time. Coppola plays into this sense of isolation that Priscilla goes through while her time with Elvis is a rollercoaster as he could be the sweetest person in the world but he is also a child sometimes and would do things that does make him a horrible person. Still, Coppola’s treatment of Elvis isn’t to make him a monster but rather a flawed individual who is caught in a world that demands so much from him while he does little for his life at home.
The film’s third act has Coppola not only playing with structure as it begins with Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding and the birth of Lisa Marie but also this major shift in their lives following Elvis’ 1968 TV comeback special. Whereas much of the film’s first two acts play things out slowly, things become much faster in the third act due to Elvis going on the road and doing shows in Vegas as there’s few glimpses of Elvis performing with Priscilla watching from afar and being a mother as she also to deal with tabloids about his supposed affairs. There is this sense of burnout that Priscilla goes through but also it is where she begins to find herself from the shadows of Elvis as she also sees up close of the world he is in that he cannot escape. Coppola’s approach to the ending is more about the decision that Priscilla makes for herself and Lisa Marie but also a decision that would play into Elvis’ own demise. Overall, Coppola crafts a ravishing and compelling film about the life of a young woman who would become the wife of the King of Rock N’ Roll.
Cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd does incredible work with the film’s luscious cinematography with its emphasis on low-key lighting for many of the film’s daytime/nighttime interior scenes including some soft lighting for some scenes in Graceland as there’s a lot of low-key colors and soft lighting that play into the atmosphere with some low-key yet natural lighting for some of exterior scenes except in the scenes set in California. Editor Sarah Flack does brilliant work with the editing as it has this sense of fluidity in its montages but also in some stylish jump-cuts that add to the sense of energy in the film as well as some straight cuts that allow shots to linger for a bit. Production designer Tamara Deverell, with set decorator Patricia Cuccia and art director Danny Haeberlin, does amazing work with the look of the homes in West Germany that Elvis and Priscilla were living in as well as the many interiors for the rooms in Graceland. Costume designer Stacey Battat does excellent work with the costumes in many dresses and clothes that Priscilla would wear throughout the years as well as some clothes that Elvis wears which were designed from Valentino.
Hair designer Cliona Furey and makeup designer Jo-Ann MacNeil do fantastic work with the look of Priscilla in different periods of her life from the natural, girlish look in Germany and her early days in Graceland to the black hair and makeup during the film’s second act to a more subdued, naturalistic look towards the end of her marriage towards Elvis. Special effects supervisors Michael Innanen and Simone Quinlan, along with visual effects supervisors Kayla Cabral and Brannek Gaudet, do terrific work with some of the film’s visual dressing in some scenes including some exteriors in Las Vegas as well a key scene where Elvis and Priscilla try LSD for the first time. Sound designer Stephen Barden and sound editor Nelson Ferreira do superb work with the sound in the way gunshots sound on a location or how music is heard from afar as the atmosphere in the sound help play into the world that Priscilla is in.
The film’s music soundtrack that is supervised by the band Phoenix, along with Randall Poster, doesn’t feature any actual music by Elvis Presley other than a few performances by noted Elvis impersonators due to rights issues. Instead, Phoenix and Poster create a soundtrack that is intentionally anachronistic yet it somehow adds to the mood of the film as the soundtrack features some original score music by Sons of Raphael that include instrumental takes on some of the songs that are made famous by Presley. Along with music from that period such as Frankie Avalon, Brenda Lee, T.L. Barrett and the Youth Choir Chorus, the Little Dippers, the Soul Stirrers, Speedy West, the Orlons, and the Righteous Brothers. Some of the anachronistic music include a cover of the Ronettes’ Baby I Love You by the Ramones as well as music from Tommy James and the Shondells, Santana, and Alice Coltrane. There’s also some indie-rock/electronic-based music by Spectrum, Porches, Dan Deacon, and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith as well as some instrumental covers of songs from the 1950s/1960s by David Mansfield as well as a song by Dolly Parton as the film’s soundtrack is a major highlight of the film.
The casting by Courtney Bright, John Buchan, Nicole Daniels, and Jason Knight is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Daniel Lipka as Priscilla’s younger half-brother Don, Evan Annisette as Elvis and Priscilla’s karate instructor Mike Stone, Olivia Barrett as Elvis’ cook Alberta, Lynne Griffin as Elvis’ grandmother Dodger, Luke Humphrey as the air force officer Terry West who introduces Priscilla to Elvis, Deanna Jarvis as West’s wife, the duo of Raine Monroe Boland and Emily Mitchell in their respective roles as the 3-year old and 5-year old versions of Lisa Marie Presley, R Austin Ball as Elvis’ spiritual advisor Larry Geller who tried to introduce Elvis to Eastern philosophies, and Tim Post as Elvis’ father Vernon who shields Priscilla from aspects relating to his son’s business affairs. Ari Cohen and Dagmara Dominczyk are superb in their respective roles as Priscilla’s stepfather Captain Paul Beaulieu and mother Ann Beaulieu with the former hesitant for Priscilla to go out with Elvis while the latter is a little more open upon realizing that Elvis has honorable intentions.
In roles of members of the Memphis Mafia, the performances of Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Dan Beirne, and Dan Abramovic in their respective roles of Alan “Hog Ears”, road manager Joseph Esposito, and talent agent Jerry Schilling as Elvis’ close friends who are fond of Priscilla while also helping Elvis out with everything that he needed. Jacob Elordi is incredible as Elvis Presley as Elordi captures the voice of Elvis as well as someone who is vulnerable due to the loss of his mother and the need to be with someone as pure as Priscilla. Elordi also brings in that sense of anger and anguish as a man who loves Priscilla but he also succumbs to his vices as well as the demands of a career that takes away from things that are really important to him.
Finally, there’s Cailee Spaeny in an outstanding leading performance as the titular character as she showcases nearly 15 years of Priscilla’s life from being a teenage girl to being a woman where Spaeny showcases the complexities of her character as well as someone who goes from being this love struck teenager to a woman that feels neglected, lost, and trapped in a world that expects a lot. It is a true break-out performance for Spaeny as she displays not just someone who is full of innocence early on but also someone who also gets frustrated as well as eventually finding her own voice in her role as a wife and mother. Spaeny and Elordi do have amazing chemistry as this couple who are considered royalty in American popular culture in the way they’re fond of each other but also play into the events that would cause their dissolution.
Priscilla is a spectacular film from Sofia Coppola that features a magnificent break-out performance from Cailee Spaeny. Along with an amazing supporting turn from Jacob Elordi as Elvis along with its ensemble cast, riveting character study, luscious visuals, and an incredible music soundtrack. It is a film that doesn’t play by the rules in exploring the life of a woman who is married to the King of Rock N’ Roll but also a study of a rollercoaster life in which a woman is a spectator while also yearning to connect with her husband and herself. In the end, Priscilla is a tremendous film from Sofia Coppola.
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, On the Rocks is the story of a woman who seeks the help of her playboy father as they suspect that her husband is having an affair where the two deal with this possibility. The film is a study of a father-daughter relationship where the latter lives a sophisticated life with two young children but ponders about her marriage with the former deciding to help out despite his impulsive lifestyle. Starring Rashida Jones, Bill Murray, Jenny Slate, Jessica Henwick, Barbara Bain, and Marlon Wayans. On the Rocks is a riveting and heartfelt film from Sofia Coppola.
The film revolves around a novelist who turns to her playboy father after becoming suspicious about her husband whom she believes is having an affair. It is a film with a simple premise as it plays into a woman not just dealing with the possibility of her husband having an affair but also questioning about the behavior of men where she turns to the worst person to go to in her father. Sofia Coppola’s screenplay is largely straightforward in its narrative yet it really follows the journey that Laura Keane (Rashida Jones) is going through not just as a mother trying to work on another novel but also raising two kids in Maya (Liyanna Muscat) and the toddler Theo (Alexandra and Anna Reimer) while her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) is an entrepreneur trying to work on deals that would help their lives despite having to travel a lot.
Yet, when Dean returned home late one night and acting confused and Laura would later find a toiletry bag in Dean’s luggage that belonged to his one of his co-workers in Fiona (Jessica Henwick). Laura talks to her father Felix (Bill Murray) who arrives to New York City from Paris to visit as Laura tells him about Dean where Felix believes something is off. Felix has these theories while also has a lot of connections that makes him suspicious about Dean while he would take Laura out to posh places to eat as it also bring in some observations from Laura about why her father was always flirting and going after other women. Coppola’s script has a lot of witty dialogue but also a lot of dramatic suspense as it play into Laura’s own revelations about her marriage as the script also has Coppola maintain some element of repetition which add to the routine that Laura endures at home as she struggling to write and be a parent to two young kids.
Coppola’s direction does have some elements of style in the compositions that she creates that include some of her trademark shots that she is known for. Yet, much of it is straightforward in terms of its overall presentation as it is shot largely on location in New York City with one scene shot outside of the city and the film’s climax in Mexico. The film opens with a brief scene of Dean and Laura’s wedding and a moment where they go skinny-dipping at a pool as it play into a moment of happiness which then cuts to black and then back to Laura in bed sleeping when Dean arrives as he kisses Laura and has this confused look in his face that would also confuse Laura. Coppola’s approach to repetition in the way Laura spends much of her day in making breakfast for the kids, dropping her oldest to school, bringing the youngest home to nap, to try and work on her novel, and then pick up her oldest from school has a charm to the way every-day life is but it also play into Coppola’s recurring theme of disconnection where Laura feels like her marriage is in trouble. The usage of the wide and medium shots do play into that disconnect whether it’s in some of the exterior locations in New York City or in Mexico or at a certain place like a restaurant or a hotel bar.
Coppola also uses close-ups to play into not just this air of confusion and despair but also in moments that play into Laura’s relationship with her father such as a scene where they’re at the actual bar in the Continental hotel in New York City as it play into the way men are where Felix flirts with a women at the bar. The scene where Laura and Felix are trying to chase Dean shows that Felix is not just this ball of fun but also the fact that he really does care despite his offbeat behavior where he can be cynical at times. The third act as it relates to a business trip Dean went to that leads to this moment where Laura asks why Felix cheated on her mom as well as having affairs with other women. It is a scene where Felix does show he’s vulnerable but also about the fallacies of human nature as it is about control which is something Laura is trying to maintain. Overall, Coppola crafts a ravishing and somber film about a woman turning to her playboy father over concerns about the state of her marriage.
Cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key and vibrant lighting for many of the daytime exterior/interior scenes as well as some low-level lights for some of the interior scenes at night to help set a mood for some of the dramatic moments in the film. Editor Sarah Flack does amazing work with the editing as it does have some stylish usage of jump-cuts and such yet much of it is straightforward in terms of playing into the drama as well as some inventive montages to play into the routine of Laura’s life. Production designer Anne Ross, with set decorator Amy Beth Silver and art director Jennifer Dehghan, does excellent work with the look of the loft that Dean and Laura live in with their children as well as the office that Dean works at and the classroom where Laura is often in a conversation with another parent.
Costume designer Stacey Battat does fantastic work with the costumes from some of the casual clothes that Laura wears including a few stylish clothes she wears along with some of the suits that Felix wears to play into his posh lifestyle. Sound designer Richard Beggs and co-sound editor Roy Waldspurger do superb work with the sound as it adds to the atmosphere of the scenes such as how car horns and alarms sound outside of a building from the inside as well as the way an engine sounds on a vintage corvette as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Phoenix is sublime in its mixture of ambient and indie to play into the sense of uncertainty that looms in Laura as they also supervise the soundtrack with Ian Broucek that doesn’t just feature a song by Phoenix but also an array of music ranging from jazz, classical, pop, and mariachi music with additional contributions from Paul Shaffer on producing songs that Felix sings as the soundtrack features bits from Chet Baker, Michael Nyman, Porches, Thelonious Monk with the Clark Terry Quartet, Franz Schubert, the Bill Evans Trio, and Mina.
The casting by Courtney Bright, Allison Hall, and Nicole Daniels is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Juliana Canfield as Laura’s sister Amanda, Musto Pelinkovicci as Felix’s driver, Kelly Lynch as a blonde woman Felix flirts with at the Continental, Evangeline Young as Maya’s ballet teacher, Barbara Bain as Laura’s grandmother, Mike Keller as a police officer who stops Felix over his driving, Alexandra and Anna Reimer as Laura and Dean’s toddler daughter Theo, Liyanna Muscat as Laura and Dean’s adolescent daughter Maya, Jenny Slate as a parent named Vanessa who often talks to Laura about her attempts in dating, and Jessica Henwick in a terrific performance as Dean’s co-worker Fiona whom Laura believes is Dean’s mistress. Marlon Wayans is brilliant as Dean as an entrepreneur who spends a lot of time traveling and working while also trying to make time for the kids and for Laura as it is a low-key and restrained performance from Wayans who is often known for comedy.
Finally, there’s the duo of Bill Murray and Rashida Jones in incredible performances in their respective roles as the father-daughter duo of Felix and Laura. Murray’s performance is one full of wit and charm as someone who is just trying to be a good father despite his playboy persona where he becomes suspicious of Dean where Murray also display a lot of restraint but also some vulnerability in some scenes. Jones’ performance as Laura is great in playing it straight but also someone who deals with the ideas that her marriage might end as it is a performance with some wit but also with energy into someone that is just trying to find answers. Murray and Jones together play off each other well as they also know how to interact and bounce off one another as they are the highlight of the film.
On the Rocks is a phenomenal film from Sofia Coppola that features great performances from Rashida Jones and Bill Murray. Along with its supporting cast, rapturous visuals, intoxicating music soundtrack, and themes of marriage and the faults of masculinity. The film is a compelling yet low-key film that has Coppola going for something simpler but also play into the idea of a woman trying to understand her father while dealing with the possibility about her husband. In the end, On the Rocks is a sensational film from Sofia Coppola.
On August 29, 2003 at the Telluride Film Festival, Sofia Coppola unveiled her second feature-length film about an aging movie star who goes to Tokyo to shoot a whiskey commercial as he meets a married young woman as they both endure loneliness and uncertainty in the city. The film was called Lost in Translation as it would also make its mark some days later at the 60th Venice Film Festival as well as the Toronto Film Festival around that same month. Then on September 12 on that same year, the film began its limited run in the U.S. where nine days later, I saw the film for the very first time at the AMC Phipps Plaza Theatre near Lenox Square at the Buckhead area in Atlanta where I saw the film for the first of three theatrical viewings.
I paid $8 for a 7:05 PM screening not really sure what I was going to expect as my only interest in the film was the fact that it was something different. It was directed by Sofia Coppola whose first film The Virgin Suicides that I liked and it would feature music by Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine which I was getting into at the time. I would see the film again at the same theater on October 18 at a 9:45 PM and for the third time at the now defunct Lefont Theatre at Buckhead on Christmas Eve of that year. I don’t know why I decided to see the film three times in the theater as I had never saw a film in the theaters more than once with the exception of Ladybugs back in 1992 (I was 11 years old, what was I thinking? Yet, I still have a soft spot for Rodney Dangerfield).
I would see the film every September 21st as it was that day I saw the film as it was also Bill Murray’s birthday as I made it an annual tradition. For me, it is the best film ever made. Why would I say it’s the best film ever made? Well, I can give 10 reasons why it is my all-time favorite film. Criterion Collection always have 3 reasons into why a certain film belongs in their library. Here are my 10 reasons for why Lost in Translation is the best film ever made:
1. Its Sensitive Portrait of Alienation & Not Knowing
Part of Sofia Coppola’s running theme with pretty much all of her films has been the idea of alienation and identity as she creates characters who are quite disconnected in one way or another. In this film, it’s about people who are definitely lost in their life. For Bill Murray’s Bob Harris, he is at a point where his career is winding down while his marriage is definitely on the rocks as he realizes he forgot his son’s birthday which makes him feel like shit. For Scarlett Johansson’s Charlotte, she’s a young woman who had just graduated from Yale but has no idea what to do next as she has no clue why she’s married. As they’re both in Japan, the sense of alienation becomes very deep for both characters that includes one of Coppola’s most mesmerizing shots of Charlotte sitting next to the window gazing at the city of Tokyo.
2. Its Humorous Take of Cultural Confusing and Mistranslation
The concept of Americans spending some time in Japan definitely brings up a lot of things that might happen. Here is where the film’s title comes into play in not just some of its humorous moments but also in some dramatic elements. The most notable scene is Bob Harris being directed by a Japanese filmmaker for the commercial where the director is talking in Japanese while the translator would only say “turn to camera with more intensity”. It’s a moment that is baffling as it’s clear that Harris is aware he’s been given more instructions than what his translator told him. Another scene that is very funny is when a prostitute is sent as a gift for Harris as she tells him to rip her stocking which he misinterprets as “lip them”. The sense of mistranslation and confusion would play into a very evocative scene of Bill and Charlotte talking in bed where Charlotte asks why do the Japanese switch the “r” and “l”.
3. Redefining the May-December Romance
Most films based on the May-December romance scenario often has an element of creepiness depending on who is cast. This film not only redefined that scenario but add something that would make it unconventional and engaging. Notably as it plays into the lives of two lost souls in an aging actor in his 50s and an uncertain woman in her 20s where they basically just talk and have fun. There’s no sex or anything that is expected in romantic films. Instead, the conversations lean on towards something that is existential as well as personal where both Bob and Charlotte express their frustrations with marriage as the former comes to the realization that it has indeed lost its romance.
4. The Beauty that is Japan
If there’s one character in the film that is just as important as Bob and Charlotte, it’s Japan from the city of Tokyo to the ravishing sequence of Charlotte in Kyoto. Through the naturalistic yet rapturous photography of Lance Acord, the city of Tokyo never looked any better nor as intimidating for the way it plays into Bob and Charlotte’s isolation. The shots set at night including that amazing sequence of Bob and Charlotte coming home from the karaoke onto the Rainbow Bridge at night are among the most exquisite that is later matched by the Kyoto sequence where it aims for naturalistic camera work as opposed to the more post-card look of Hollywood-driven films.
5. Kevin Shields’ Return to the Music World & Its Rapturous Soundtrack
For anyone who had paid attention to the indie music world, there was always the question of who would make the big return to the world of music. My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields would make his return with some new music for the first time in over a decade in contributing three amazing instrumental pieces and the song City Girl which is practically one of the most underrated songs of the 2000s. Yet, the film’s soundtrack is filled with an amazing array of artists as diverse as Phoenix, Happy End, Sebastien Tellier, Squarepusher, Death in Vegas, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Shields’ My Bloody Valentine, and Air. Ranging from indie-pop, noise-pop, Japanese folk, and ambient music. The film’s soundtrack from the supervision of Brian Reitzell just adds to the exotic quality of the film.
6. Bill Murray
Everyone knows Bill Murray as one of the funniest actors ever. Then in 1993, something new was emerging in Murray with Groundhog Day where he displayed some dramatic range that later lead to some great collaborations with Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch. In this film, Murray exudes a man who is coming to the end of career where Murray adds this melancholia that is unexpected. He does have moments where’s funny but in the most subtle of ways from the way he engages in conversation with Charlotte to the his reactions of his surroundings. Yet, it is that element of sadness in the character of Bob Harris over the way he deals with a crumbling marriage and the fact that he’s not a good husband or father as it adds a great amount of weight into Murray’s performance.
7. Scarlett Johansson
Playing a 25-year old graduate at the age of 17, Scarlett Johansson’s performance as Charlotte was truly unlike anything. Especially for someone at that age and having been acting for almost a decade at that time. Yet, Johansson just adds this very evocative quality to her performance in the way she can express so much by doing so little in such moments as her visits to Buddhist temples and Kyoto as well as being the comfortable foil for Murray. Johansson also has this melancholia as she plays a woman with no sense of direction as well as someone who is alienated by the world like other Coppola protagonists as the Lisbon sisters in The Virgin Suicides and the titular character in Marie Antoinette. Yet, Johansson added something that was very adult to her character as well as a sense of hope in Coppola’s lost-woman trilogy.
8. Making Karaoke Cool Again
Karaoke for a time stopped being cool because people were either singing very bad songs or were singing very badly as it stopped being fun. Thankfully, it would take Coppola, Murray, Johansson, Brian Reitzell, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and some Japanese actors to make it cool again. Not only in the song choices ranging from the Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, the Pretenders, and Roxy Music but also having fun with them. Yet, it’s Murray’s rendition of Roxy Music’s More Than This that really steals the moment as it’s Murray just singing it straight where it is also very moving to display that even karaoke can make someone connect with another person.
9. Sofia Coppola’s Ethereal Direction
Only a filmmaker like Sofia Coppola would create a film that has a lot of visual beauty mixed in with startling images that conveys something real. From the way she presents Tokyo as something that is very foreign to Western audiences to the sense of intimacy that is captured in the Hyatt Hilton Hotel in Tokyo. With its use of hand-held cameras to capture the chaos of the Shibuya cross way as well as the trademark shots of sunlight gazing over nature and cars being shown outside in a close-up. It’s definitely the work of someone who is finally creating her own language as a filmmaker as it would evolve in her subsequent films as it would make her one of the best filmmakers working today.
10. The Mystery Over Its Ending
