wow . kind of a cute movie and rid on that independent film vibe of the individual search of meaning in life and struggle mightily against an ignorant and heavily cynical world . sound like a downer . never fear and this movie spend 85 percent of the time make fun of japanese people . if these be scathing attack and perhaps this movie could almost pass a parody and make fun of stereotype by overkill be quite effective . except these be literally and let make fun of the japanese a bizarre little benign alien who want to become like u . this be about two white people try to have fun in an alien land and shake their head at the ridiculous custom of these funny little people and marvel at how the japanese could be so different from our own sensible caucasian perspective . there be no japanese character in this movie who be not grossly caricaturized . also and whenever sofia coppola direct a long lull in the film and hey and insert reocurring joke about height or accent or culture and make the audience laugh and again . there be no such thing a a tired joke in this movie and some joke be methodically insert every 15 minute . actually and it really worthwhile to watch sofia coppola deftly direct the profoundly subtle relationship between a 21 year old yale philosophy major and a wash up 55 year old actor . sure . they both . do not like their life and do like to drink at the bar and eat food ( hey at least no more joke about monkey brain and huh . good thing this wasn not a korean movie ) and crack joke about the japanese . the movie should have the tagline and how any two white people and no matter how different in age and personality could become soulmates once thrust into this horrible technologically advanced but spiritually backwards world . or peter pan and wendy in captain hook oriental nevernevernightmare . this movie can be metaphorically summarize by how any two people can fall in love on a desert island and a deserted island full of poisonous snake and fetid water and quicksand and and erupt volcano . i challenge anybody in the world and include any type of funny little alien and to logically prove that the particular setting of japan be necessary to the plot of the movie . would the relationship between bill m. and scarlett j. be any different and if say and it take place in manhattan . absolutely not and but we wouldn not have the comedy aspect of the movie . and what make it comedic . be you laugh at comedy and or be you laugh at the japanese and these common and stereotypical joke . i challenge somebody to find any shot in this movie of a japanese person ( or perhaps ape in japanese costume ) who isn not act silly or over the top and a part of a joke and a joke in which the japanese be the be punch by the line .