Olly,
I saw 'Lost in Translation' last weekend. I'd been pretty psyched up to see it, having heard that it had been called 'the best movie of the year' and that Bill Murray gave an Academy Award-winning performance.
I was disappointed with the film. I thought it digressed into an indulgent MTV video for a large portion of the film. It did get better in the latter half, but not enough to save it entirely. I will concede that it was a departure for Bill Murray, and that he played the part without his trademark 'shtick'. I thought Scarlett Johanssen was about as interesting as a wet dishrag.
To address your original question, I'm not entirely sure what I was supposed to 'get'!
JMO,
Barb