Many reviewers say that some people don't get this film, because they cannot understand its purpose, that of a slow and subtle story that tells about loneliness, aimlessness and feeling detached from your own life. Thus there seem to be two kinds of people: those who love this movie for its ability to tell a story with minimal plot and those who hate it because it's boring and nothing happens.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I didn't think that nothing happens, but I actually thought that it lacked something. There are a lot of shots where people just seem to exist side by side, sitting somewhere or lying around on their beds. Sure, those shots are needed, because they relate the feeling of having nothing important to do, one of the key themes of this film, but they're not very interesting to witness. And that's this movie, intellectually interesting and yeah, I can relate to these characters, because I've had days when I've felt like they do throughout this whole film, but the film is a bit boring.

So, is it a bad film? Not at all. The imagery, for one, is extremely pleasing, and the modern day Japan is portrayed beautifully with its old traditions that are beginning to mix with the phenomena of today. Plus Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are both powerful actors that give brilliant performances. Final thoughts, it's a good movie, but it's not for those that want their movies fast and furious, with high emotions and flashy action scenes.