It's good. At the risk of seeming cutsie: It's "nice". I had the Kirsten Dunst Fan Club sitting right behind me, doing their utmost to sound like a riled henhouse every time Dunst finished a line. I'd have given my left tit for a vat of boiling oil by half way through the movie. So maybe that's got something to do with my response. Or lack thereof. I just don't feel like raving about it. And it seems like everyone else does.
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The central performances are very strong. Carey and Winslet are both very invested in this, and at times that's really challenging. Winslet's character could have been a rock-star wannabe in the hands of most of Hollywood, and she gave it just enough grounding to make her relatable. Kaufman walked the line with the character of Clementine between bullsh</>itter and genuine, and Winslet charged up both sides. Nicely done. I didn't relate so well to Joel. I think that's the main thing that distanced the whole thing for me, emotionally. He's so.... blah. He's certainly someone who needs a Clementine in his life, so I can understand his strong drive to want her back, but as to why she'd want him, I can't begin to guess.
The very strong subplot is also well-acted, though this is a weird role for Elijah Wood. Mark Rufalo and Kirsten Dunst are both on their game and well-cast.
The writing is some of Kaufman's best. He seems to finally have found a balance between cerebralism and emotion. This accounts for the attraction of the main story, and is underlined in the graceful subplot between the doctor and his assistant. Up til the scene with the doc's wife in the street, this is a love story about two people. The fact that Mary still feels for Tom broadens the scope and clarifies the message of the film. It's well acted, especially that tape of Mary. I might could have done with less of Rufalo, especially in his baggy old underpants. But that's another story.
The photography, palette, light, etc in this were gorgeous and gave the whole thing a surreal quality that supported the story nicely. I think that song at the end was really weak. Would have rather'd "Book of Love" by the Magnetic Fields, or something.
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Lost in Translation, this film affirms good stuff - appreciating people for their entirety, and letting love win over fear. That's all good, but in this case there are a few small problems. Perhaps in time I'll come to love it, warts and all. (god, I hate that expression) For now, I give it 8/10.
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great review Sammy 
You wouldn't believe the battle I had when that movie came out and I first wrote that (this is a re-write, after seeing it a second time). Glad to know you thought the same.
