. I love Sean Penn. I love Mystic River. However, I hate that Sean Penn beat Bill Murray for the Best Actor Oscar.
Coppola expertly captures the loneliness and isolation of these two strangers and explores their deep emotional intimacy and a profound sense of understanding and companionship. Terrific dialogue — “The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you.” — striking cinematography, a powerful score, and assured direction make Lost in Translation a scrumptious, heartbreaking, absorbing cinematic feast.
Yes, Mr. Penn is very good in Mystic River. Mesmerizing even. He commands the screen and stands out in a picture jam-packed full of award-worthy performances. Coppola gives Murray plenty of opportunities to display his natural comedic charm—there’s a fair amount of improvising going on here—but she also pulls from the actor a warmth only fleetingly seen throughout his career in films such as Groundhog Day and Broken Flowers. It’s the type of head-turning, “I can’t believe he did that” performance that only comes around once in a blue moon.