10 Misleading Movie Trailers That Scared You Off Amazing Movies
7. Lost In Translation
What The Trailer Sold You:
A lighthearted, sweet, fish out of water rom-com where a past-his-prime actor (Bill Murray) struggles to navigate the language barriers in Japan. Suffice it to say, comical misunderstandings ensue. And who's this pretty little thing that's got his attention? Why it's Scarlett Johansson, another perplexed, alienated American in Tokyo! Someone call Woody Allen, because there's a new cradle robber in town!
What You Missed:
Don't let that bouncy Elvis Costello classic playing in the background fool you, the tone and pace of Lost In Translation is anything but brisk. Sophia Coppola earned an Oscar for Best Writing with this one, and it wasn't because she dazzled critics with a unique meet-cute.
Lost In Translation is a profoundly sad movie about loneliness, and melancholy, and basically all of the things that outright comedies try to steer clear of. It's a nuanced work, with Murray playing it much mellower than audiences were used to. Perhaps that's why the trailer tried to play up the hijinks. Audiences who were used to the Ghostbusters/Stripes/Scrooged Murray may have been eased into the actor's career transition with this uptempo (though honestly pretty boring) trailer.
But those avoiding this supposedly sticky sweet comedy are missing out a genuinely touching -- and heavy -- exploration of isolation and unrequited love.