Another Kelly vs. Bob issue

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LostCalls
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Another Kelly vs. Bob issue

#1 Post by LostCalls » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:34 pm

I think I'd posted once before on Kelly and the female groupie--and the ways in which John and Bob, respectively, react to them in the presence of Charlotte. Here's another interesting comparison.

In the Suntory commercial shoot, Bob bemoans the fact that his translator and director seem to be saying so much more in Japanese than what he is given as the English translation. By contrast, when Kelly is giving her interview for Midnight Velocity in the Park Hyatt, which Charlotte furtively observes, Kelly gives these long-winded, relatively flaky answers that are then translated in much briefer fashion into Japanese.

Q: What was it like working with Keanu Reeves?

A: (paraphrasing) ...He was always helping me out...I mean, we have a lot in common...uh, we both live in L.A., and...we both have two dogs...and we both like Mexican food...and yoga...and...karate!

Translation: (I don't speak Japanese, but the translation of Kelly's speech seemed to have far fewer words in it; I think I heard something about Mexican food and yoga and that was about it.)

In other words, the Japanese seem to have condensed Kelly's chatter while, in the Suntory scene, they expand upon Bob's simple questions. Perhaps there's a wry comment here to the effect of, in Kelly's case, "Talks most, says least." Again, I think we're seeing through Kelly the more shallow (but seemingly contented) life of the movie star that Bob could have chosen at some point in his life.

And I doubt it's coincidence thematically that this film is populated with performance/entertainment-type people (John--in his way as photographer, Kelly, the fashion girls, the "dance class" dancer, Matthew's Best Hit TV...and, of course, Bob himself) while Charlotte, who wins Bob's attention and affection, has studied Philosophy. I think that Bob's choice of Charlotte (or their choice of one another), speaks to the fact that Bob is no longer interested in leading the lifestyle of the entertainment celebrity or persona; he'd rather be doing a play somewhere (very different ambiance from film, I can tell you) and quietly lying on a bed tapping toes.

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