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[Dice]

So I love this movie, but I still haven't figured out what the point of

Spoiler

Bob cheating on his wife

was, it doesn't make a lot of sense in the middle of what the movie was about. I mean I can understand maybe why, but I don't see it having a point in the overall story. So... what's the point?

Please don't start bashing the movie in here, I'm not looking for a debate on it's quality, just an answer to the question.

 

[olimario]

A depressing movie with no real Climax.
There's no point to Bob cheating on his wife. The movie was a limited view of the lives of 2 people. Nothing in the movie had any real significance or underlying moral.

The only thing I dragged away is that meeting new friends rocks and that leaving them sucks.

EDIT: Just saw your edit... I won't post here any longer.

 

[Dice]

it's cool, I realized late that the title of the thread probably wasn't enough to clue people in.

 

[Deg]

saw this but i couldnt concentrate because everyone just started talking shortly after the start...

 

[Shouta]

There was some meaning to it but I haven't see the film in awhile and I need to see it again to remember exactly what struck me about it.

 

[karasu]

If you like this you must see Last Life in the Universe!

 

[Flynn]

The point was to show that his character was flawed.

She was gaining a romantic attachment to him, but he's far from perfect -- even as she'd come to understand him.

Also, cheating with the singer was his semi-noble way of not making a move on her. He truly liked her, yet likely felt compelled to bed her -- because that's what people are supposed to do, right?

So he takes the low/high road -- gets a quick sexual fix and manages to keep his relationship with the young woman platonic.

In case you couldn't tell, I found Lost in Translation fairly rich in its intricacies.

 

[Mike Works]

I'll answer the question twice, since I'm not sure exactly what it is you're asking.

If you're referring to the movie's plot (devices), it's there to set up Bob and Charlotte getting in a fight.

If you're asking why Bob the character cheated on his wife, I'd say it was having a close, meaningful, intimate feeling with a woman (Charlotte) which he's not able to act upon, in conjunction with his obviously stale marriage/relationship with his wife. The emotional ties that Charlotte strung affected him, and he needed a form of release.

 

[Ned Flanders]

I didn't like the movie, but I think I can answer the question.

Spoiler

I think it was about misdirected emotions/desires. Bob's affections were really directed at Charlotte, but the intimacy they had developed went beyond physical attraction, and I don't think he was willing to jeopardize that by attempting something with her. The other woman became the outlet for his physical desires, but the empty feeling he had afterward made him realize that what he felt for Charlotte wasn't about lust or attraction, but understanding and connection. I don't know how it fit into the greater picture of Bob and his wife, but I would speculate that he wasn't the cheating type, only was so stimulated by Charlotte's presence that he was driven to satisfy himself with the lounge singer.

Ok now I feel gay..

*takes shower*

 

[pops619]

Yeah, I think it was to show that Bob and Charlotte were just friends. He went to the singer to satisfy his sexual needs. Bob and Charlotte were just two friends having a good time together.

 

[demon]

cuz he was horny, am i rite?

 

[Dilbert]

I agree with the "misplaced passion" theory, but it's also part of another dramatic tension in the movie: "real life" versus "fantasy." What Bob and Charlotte have is perfect...but perfectly unreal. Bob isn't cheating because he's looking for someone else to be with over the long run -- he will keep returning home, trip after trip, and whatever he does on the road is transient, even though it might more accurately represent what a part of him really wants.

 

[Dice]

So his marriage/life was in a bad place and he was feeling detached, and the connection with Charlotte turned him on (as in a person with feelings again), yet the respect and importance disallowed the sexual connection with her, but it had him buggin so he went with someone else to ensure the preservation of continued good sense with Charlotte. Though inasmuch it also showed some flaws in himself.

Then her reaction also shows that she was feeling the tension as well, and was a little upset about him not chosing her, though (because she was younger) maybe not understanding the reasons why he did with the singer lady instead of her. However them getting over it later on could show she had an understanding of his actions after having some time to think about it.

And for the plot it demonstrates the reality of how serious their relationship was (if only because it was based on a real heart connection) and how because it was of such a nature, it couldn't have lasted (or at least stayed healthy) even if geographical circumstances allowed otherwise.

Then also since the movie is about how their friendship reawakened them to life and living and relationships and gave them hope for the possibilities of better things (if they applied what they learned) in the lives they were returning to, then bringing out this point of intimacy more directly points out the possibility of renewed intimacy with their spouses.

Thanks for the input guys, you got my gears turning and I like the movie even more now.