Strip club scene

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Chicken
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Strip club scene

#1 Post by Chicken » Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:46 pm

I can't help but think how much more far reaching this movie could have been if this scene was removed. Without this scene, the movie is easily a PG-13, even possibly PG. With the scene, the movie is borderline R. All because of some scene lasting 20 seconds that had very little effect on the plot.

I understand the purpose of the scene. This scene effectively removes Charlie and everyone from the picture, and for the first time it's just Charlotte and Bob, rather than Charlotte, Bob, and Charlie. It also gave the impression that Bob is a different kind of guy, one that didn't go for the strippers while the other guys did. These are both very, very important aspects, but did they have to use a scene like this to achieve that?

I think an alternative way would be simply a house of prostitutes, not naked but still giving lap dances and such. The same point would get across, and you have a PG13 rating instead. While I'm all for R ratings if there's material in the movie that achieves a neccessary atmosphere or element, this scene is totally unnecessary and limits the number of watchers. I'm a little hesistant now to recommend the movie to my parents, or watch it with some female friends, just because I cringe at the thought of them thinking how perverted I am for liking this movie.

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Re: Strip club scene

#2 Post by jm » Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:00 pm

Scenes like this are usually done on purpose to get an 'R' rating. I sure the hell wouldn't want to have seen this in the theater with a lot of goddamned teenagers telling each other how it sucks. :roll:
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#3 Post by Chicken » Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:07 pm

Well, I'm 15 and I thought it was an incredible life changing movie.

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#4 Post by jm » Thu Aug 26, 2004 4:10 am

"[quote:f651044a8d="Chicken"]Well, I'm 15 and I thought it was an incredible life changing movie.[/quote:f651044a8d]

Well, that is telling me! :wink: Won't you agree that your attitude would be rare among your peers? And if not, get them online here and talking!

Please tell us your thoughts about the movie in more detail. I'd be happy to hear how a young'n relates to it."
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#5 Post by Blissbomb » Thu Aug 26, 2004 4:20 am

I didnt think anyone under the age of 20 would get this movie. Connecting with someone so much and then having to walk away for the benefit of everyone, really hurts.

I think they could have toned down the strips scene. We didnt need to see what the girl bending over had for breakfast, she could have just stood there shaking her booty to give the same effect.

Still the best god damn movie I have ever seen!

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#6 Post by hull_street » Thu Aug 26, 2004 4:44 am

I agree with you BlissBomb, I didn't believe anyone younger than 22 would really understand this film at all. I think the point of the strip club scene was to show us just how uncomfortable it made Bob and Charlotte, and part of the reason to hold the scene so long is to give us that feeling of discomfort, as well. I'm grateful for the R-rating, too. There would have been a lot of disapponted kids out there, if it had gotten a PG-13. This is an "adult" film in the best possible sense of the word.

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#7 Post by Chicken » Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:24 pm

My opinion on the movie? Well, I hardly consider myself the stereotypical teen, but alright.

Let me start by saying that I seriously cursed myself after watching it. I was so angry with myself that I hadn't seen it earlier, an year ago when my mind was still in that phase of a teenager's life when he starts thinking about everything. It's highly conceivable that if I had watched this movie at that time, I would be very different today. I consider my tastes slightly deeper than the typical teenager, I honestly love any genre of entertainment. I love Pulp Fiction and at the same time would love watching Finding Nemo. Often after watching movies with friends, I'll go into a deep discussion with them about what the movie meant and they'll kinda shrug their shoulders not understanding a word I say.

Honestly, I cannot pinpoint a single aspect of the movie that stands above all. Everything is done so flawlessly. There is a feeling of oppression in the characters that compelled to right from the get-go. The humor is dry and satirical, right up my alley. I don't need to comment on the acting and direction, which even haters of the movie agree are excellent. The movie is truly brilliant in that it avoids all the cliches, I have never seen a more original movie in a genre that is so easy to fail in.

I love the portrayal of Japan in the movie. People have complained about the movie being a Japanese culture basher, when it's quite obviously the opposite. This is a glorification of all that is wonderful and unique in Japan. It is portrayed honestly and without any exxageration of the truth. If the Japanese were to make a movie like this portraying the American culture, many people would probably scream "racist" as well. Showing how bizarre the Japanese culture to us was absolutely critical, there's a sense that these two characters are lost in their own world. The last scene where they embrace on the street would be no where near as compelling if it were on say, a street in America where everybody looks like them. For anybody who's been in a foreign country, this movie immediately relates to them.

My favorite scene in the movie is the bed scene. Coppola is practically playing with our minds here, making us believe that this is the big sex scene, and she dodges that beautifully. This was the definitive moment in the entire movie. If they have sex right then and there, I probably would not be thinking of the movie today, it would have ruined the entire experience. The dialogue is some of the best of the movie here. Ebert described it best when he noted that when Charlotte asks "does it get harder?" and we all expect Bob to come back with a big lecture on marraige and life. Instead, Bob just gives a subtle "no". Subtleness is one of the positive elements of this movie, the movie doesn't try to explain more than it needs to like so many other films today.

I actually believe Scarlett Johansson was the better actor in this movie. All Bill Murray needed to do was look bored all the time and crack some jokes once in a while. A lot more responsibility was placed on Scarlett's shoulders. It was imperative that she used the right facial expression in every scene, especially leading up to the end where the characters' feelings start to change. The poise with which she carries herself is unbelieveable. I must have played the karaoke scene a hundred times, her execution of it is just phenomenal. It also helps that she's the most beautiful woman in the world, and I suppose I'm biased. :D

Probably the most over looked aspect of the movie is its soundtrack. I feel as if the music in the movie acts as the narrative. I can play the soundtrack, and feel as if I have a grasp on what the movie is about. The music gives the movie such a different atmosphere, the opening scene with Bob riding into Japan would not be as immersive if not for the haunting tone of Death in Vegas. I don't get the same feeling of freedom without the Chemical Brothers' song played in the club. My eyes don't swell up without "Just Like Honey" playing as the two walk away. And in the most crucial moments, there is no music, giving me the sense that silence itself is more powerful than any sound.

Somebody here said that they couldn't enjoy any other movie after seeing Lost In Translation. Three days after viewing it myself, this could not be any truer. I've watched 2 movies since then, very highly rated movies, and they were just unwatchable. I immediately switched to LiT, and enjoyed it again. I am thinking about the movie everywhere I go, I've tried to act like the actors, talk like the characters. I have a feeling I'll be watching the movie many, many times more in my life.

This movie in one word: sublime.

Guest

#8 Post by Guest » Thu Aug 26, 2004 10:05 pm

I can tell you that I am younger than 20 and understood this movie completely.

You don't necessarily need to have an experience that similar to the characters to know what they are going through. I often feel alone, even when near friends and family.

Actually, I can tell that this is a great movie when it can affect people of all ages.

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#9 Post by hull_street » Thu Aug 26, 2004 11:23 pm

I didn't mean my comment in a bad way. I'm very glad that younger people get this film; I just didn't expect it. I've had similar experiences in my life, so I felt that I was getting the most out of it. Actually, I figured that I, alone, was the target audience of LiT. :) I think most of us here feel that way, simply because it is such a personal experience. And I've never seen the word "sublime" used more appropriately in a sentence. What a great way to describe this film.

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Excellent

#10 Post by bloomer » Fri Aug 27, 2004 1:28 am

Really enjoying everyones posts. Some spirited debate. For my two cents, I think the strip club was an excellent part of the movie...very funny how Charlotte is incredulous when she walks in and Bob says goodbye to the stripper upside down.

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#11 Post by Zero_Cool » Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:18 am

After watching the movie for sevral times i think that the actors are not Acting , I mean there face expressions are way more natural than if they were acting , for example when bob was sitting in the restaurant and said that her toe was DEAD she laughed in a very natural way i can swear that she didn't fake the laugh but at all.

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#12 Post by Blissbomb » Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:58 am

I think your wrong, I think Bob represents every married man in the western world. The spark has obviously gone out of his marriage and why has this happened, because his wife is thinking about every thing else but him. Why do women lose all spontiniaty after they have been married for a few years? Why do women become so materialistic? Bob feels like a pack horse that has to bring home the money and then get treated like a door mat for the effort.

When Bob was on the phone to his wife, if she had only said "I miss you, I love you, I need you " and he wouldnt have been lost.
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#13 Post by Zero_Cool » Fri Aug 27, 2004 7:08 am

this is not what i meant . what i was saying is that there acting in the movie was so good that i coudlnt tell if they were acting or not. and this is probably why it makes it a great movie. u feal ur watching a live feed movie.

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#14 Post by jm » Fri Aug 27, 2004 7:50 am

"Sorry [b:6c1d273f75]Chicken[/b:6c1d273f75] - I'll have to read your post at work and answer it tonight. :)

[quote:6c1d273f75="Zero_Cool"]After watching the movie for sevral times i think that the actors are not Acting , I mean there face expressions are way more natural than if they were acting , for example when bob was sitting in the restaurant and said that her toe was DEAD she laughed in a very natural way i can swear that she didn't fake the laugh but at all.[/quote:6c1d273f75]

Sofia has said that there were places in the script where she wrote "he makes her laugh," knowing that Bill could pull it off, which he did."
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#15 Post by Blissbomb » Fri Aug 27, 2004 10:35 am

oops, sorry zero_cool , I was referring to Chickens last comment!
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For Chicken

#16 Post by jm » Fri Aug 27, 2004 10:27 pm

"[quote:c5200f7351="Chicken"]My opinion on the movie? Well, I hardly consider myself the stereotypical teen, but alright.[/quote:c5200f7351]

I pretty much agree with what you've said. Let me add a few thoughts to yours. P.S. May I point you to this MP3 download?

[quote:c5200f7351="Chicken"]I love the portrayal of Japan in the movie. People have complained about the movie being a Japanese culture basher, when it's quite obviously the opposite.... If the Japanese were to make a movie like this portraying the American culture, many people would probably scream "racist" as well.[/quote:c5200f7351]

Sofia has said how much she loves Japan and wanted to make a movie set there. This comes across to me too from the movie. It's unfortunate that it's been sincerely seen as racist. Also here.

[quote:c5200f7351="Chicken"]I actually believe Scarlett Johansson was the better actor in this movie. All Bill Murray needed to do was look bored all the time and crack some jokes once in a while.[/quote:c5200f7351]

Scarlett is a really incredible actress, and I got my boxers bunched reading how great he was without reading how great she was -- but my dear Chicken, he was brilliant. Playing a quiet, funny, intelligent, introverted, isolated, unhappy man was not a cakewalk.

I'll have to get the review I wrote back online...
PS Here it is! :wink:"
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#17 Post by Chicken » Sat Aug 28, 2004 2:45 pm

John, the MP3 link doesn't work.
I think your wrong, I think Bob represents every married man in the western world. The spark has obviously gone out of his marriage and why has this happened, because his wife is thinking about every thing else but him. Why do women lose all spontiniaty after they have been married for a few years? Why do women become so materialistic? Bob feels like a pack horse that has to bring home the money and then get treated like a door mat for the effort.

When Bob was on the phone to his wife, if she had only said "I miss you, I love you, I need you " and he wouldnt have been lost.
We also have to consider, has Bob been treating his wife the same? I think there's one line in particular that defines their relationship.

Lydia: Should I worry about you Bob?
Bob: Only if you want to.

I think it's pretty self-explanatory.

I really didn't get the impression that this was a racist film. Everything that may have come across as being racist, was to me simply a method of showing how incredibly foreign and strange this culture is to Americans. They emphasize this to the point where it's blatantly obvious. Everything served to build this isolation of the two characters. If anything, I found it more anti-American than anti-Japanese, since it showed how incapable Americans are to adapt to a new location.

I'd say both Bill Murray and Scarlett were irreplacable. Many people have said that Steve Martin would have achieved the same effect in the movie, but I see him as being overly comedic at times and the white hair wouldn't serve him too well here. Scarlett is simply one of a kind. I have never been so utterly captivated by a female performance in a movie. I don't think she had the complete, all round performance that Bill did, so he was the one who got the nomination.

I've thought about the strip club scene a little more, and I'm starting to think it was indeed a good thing the movie was rated R. None of my friends whom I've recommended the movie to liked it. I've been thinking about what in our personality allows us to enjoy a movie like this, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

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#18 Post by hull_street » Sat Aug 28, 2004 4:51 pm

I've been thinking about what in our personality allows us to enjoy a movie like this, and I can't quite put my finger on it.
That's funny, I've wondered the same thing from time to time.

What is it that we all have in common here ?
Are we alienated, hopeless romantics ?
Disillusioned about our lives ?
Looking to make that one real connection that helps to make some sense out of it all ?

I can answer "yes" to all of the above.
Anybody want to offer their opinion ?

Silver

Why are people so divided on this film?

#19 Post by Silver » Sat Aug 28, 2004 8:40 pm

I absolutely love this film. I too though have the same problem as others have encountered. No matter who I have recommended this film to, when I questioned them about "so what do you think?" - it's either, I hated it, Bill Murray was excellent but the film was boring, too slow moving, or it was ok but nothing more.

It is very frustrating but everyone is an individual, and is entitled to his or her own opinion. People say that the Coppola name was influential in racking up numerous awards. Bill Murray himself, garnered sixteen awards and Sofia Coppola snagged a few herself. "LiT" was the film named most often on top ten lists at year's end.

The film certainly deserved the accolades it received and I am glad to see that Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola were recognized for their talents as well.

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MP3 link is now working

#20 Post by jm » Sun Aug 29, 2004 6:33 am

"[quote:478133cec4="Chicken"]John, the MP3 link doesn't work.[/quote:478133cec4][b:478133cec4]It does now![/b:478133cec4] :lol:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/ar ... 31965.html"
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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