 He s doing a commercial, parlaying his fifteen minutes of movie stardom. She s just graduated from college, recently married, and tagged along with her husband, a photographer on assignment. He s married with children, but he s never home. She s supporting her husband, but has no idea what she wants to do with her own life. Both are searching for the meaning of their lives, looking at the situation from different points of view. A person s lifetime is filled with self examination. Why am I here? What am I doing? Is this as good as it gets? The plot of this movie is the plot of life. You have a beginning. You re in the middle, and your story hasn t ended yet (in some cases, it won t end even after your death). Bob and Charlotte find each other fulfilling certain needs. Charlotte needs Bob s attention and humor, and Bob needs someone he can talk to (Bob "talks" with his wife, but they are not really talking). Bob helps Charlotte by answering her questions regarding life and direction, while Charlotte helps Bob by reminding him how much he loves his children and his wife. The love between the two characters is not one of lust but rather one of emotional and psychological need. Plotless, pointless, and boring? Only if you want all your stories packaged nicely with pretty paper and pretty ribbons. To me, the movie is like the shabu shabu sushi restaurant. What you get out of it depends on how much you put into it. The meaning of our lives, the purpose, the dreams (both dashed and realized), and the expectations forced upon us by others. "Translation" means to explain in simple terms. How do you "translate" what life is? What is it supposed to be about? Different answers for different people at different times in their lives. "Lost In Translation" indeed and it has nothing to do with pronouncing hard R s.