This review is very late because this movie has been out since last summer so I was glad to see it was still in an area theater.

The last movie I saw was The Last Samurai so it was interesting to see these two movies "side by side."

First thoughts while I watched this movie was that I wanted to run out into the country and look at trees and sky.  Fortunately, the movie provides a "green scene" when Murray is hitting a golf ball and when the Johansson is in Kyoto walking among the temples.

The movie works at one level, the humorous level, concerning situations where language and culture don't connect.  Murray does a great job of keeping a straight face in the many, funny scenes where he is placed.

The deeper level is of course the questions regarding the feelings of Murray and Johansson's characters--and the movie does a great job of showing their "many feelings such as loneliness" when not in the comfort of the familiar.

For example, she experiences a possible future when she finds out about the "Midnight at the Oasis" woman.

He experiences "youth" again, possibly times of laughter when he was with his wife "before the kids."  Instead of focusing on him, his wife is more concerned about the carpet samples.

The camera work makes you "feel" the "action" in the characters' minds.  

In many ways, there is a lot more action there than watching a chase scene.

The film excellently portrays how in our lives, many things get "lost in translation."