How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Lost in Translation.
Quote #10
CHARLOTTE: You know, the first time I saw you, you were wearing a tuxedo at the bar? You were very dashing. I liked the mascara.
BOB: But the first time I saw you was in the elevator.
CHARLOTTE: Really?
BOB: You don’t remember?
CHARLOTTE: I guess you do kind of blend in, huh? Did I scowl at you?
BOB: No, you smiled.
CHARLOTTE: I did?
BOB: Yes, it was a complete accident, a freak. I haven't seen it since.
Two things going on here: First, the fact that Bob can tease Charlotte about being "mean"—something we know she's insecure about—shows their connection. It bothers her when John says it, but not when Bob does. Charlotte makes no secret about the fact that she was trying her best to be uncommunicative in elevators, as a rule. She smiled at Bob despite herself.
Quote #11
CHARLOTTE: What about marriage? Does that get easier?
BOB: That's hard. We used to have a lot of fun. Lydia would come with me when I made the movies, and we would laugh about it all. Now she doesn't want to leave the kids, and she doesn't need me to be there. The kids miss me, but they're fine. It gets a whole lot more complicated when you have kids.
CHARLOTTE: Yeah, it's scary.
BOB: It's the most terrifying day of your life, the day the first one is born.
CHARLOTTE: Nobody ever tells you that.
BOB: Your life, as you know it, is gone, never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk, and you want to be with them, and they turn out to be the most delightful people you'll ever meet in your life.
CHARLOTTE: Mmm. That's nice.
Bob and Lydia used to laugh about stuff? Here, Bob sums up how communication has deteriorated between him and his wife, while he's doing an awesome job of communicating with Charlotte. Charlotte seems interested in what Bob’s saying, but her response here—“that’s nice”—shows us that she’s at a totally different place in her life than he is. She can’t really get what it’s like to have kids.
Quote #12
CHARLOTTE: Well, she is closer to your age. You can talk about things you have in common, like growing up in the '50s. Maybe she liked the movies you were making in the '70s, when you still were making movies.
BOB: Wasn't there anyone else there to lavish you with attention?
It's interesting that Charlotte's reaction to Bob sleeping with the Sausalito singer is to immediately discredit Charlotte and Bob's bond, which she does by claiming that he has more in common with the singer because they're closer in age. Bob uses the same tactic when he fires back, accusing Charlotte of being self-absorbed, which is a trait usually associated with youth, but not always (see: The Real Housewives of Orange County, New Jersey, Peoria, etc.).