Broken Flowers (2005)

Solid

Bill Murray is the closest thing to a modern Charlie Chaplin, not in being a filmmaker, but in creating an onscreen persona. His `dour schlemiel' is every bit as iconic as Chaplin's tramp. He has played the same basic character in films from Groundhog Day to Lost In Translation to his latest incarnation in Jim Jarmusch's latest film Broken Flowers. This film is one of those works of art that should be filed under `nice attempt', but is ultimately a failure. And it fails for the simplest of reasons that all bad films fail: a bad screenplay, which was written by Jarmusch himself.
Murray plays a former Lothario named Don Johnston, who made a fortune in personal computers, watches The Adventures Of Don Juan on tv (for all call him a Don Juan), and whose girlfriend Sherry (Julie Delpy) is leaving him. His Ethiopian friend and neighbor Winston (Jeffrey Wright), is a mystery writer and amateur detective. On the day Sherry leaves Don gets an unsigned letter in a pink envelope, typed in red ink, from a former girlfriend saying that twenty years ago he fathered her son, and he may be searching for him. Don is is pushed by Winston to search for the writer of the letter. The first of his ex-girlfriends he visits is Laura (Sharon Stone). She's a NASCAR widow, whose daughter Lolita (Alexis Dziena), is a gorgeous nymphet who nakedly tries to seduce Don (wow, what a shock!). She does not succeed, but Laura does (ah, film!- only in such a medium could a guy like Murray, and a cipher of a character like Don, have a prayer of bedding Sharon Stone- or her onscreen lookalike). Don, in Murrayvian fashion, never tells her his real reason for the trip, then later fantasizes about....of course, Lolita- yes, it's really that heavyhanded in its attempts at symbolism.
His second ex-lover is Dora (Frances Conroy), who, with her husband Ron (Christopher McDonald), are realtors of pre-fab homes. Again Murray equivocates and does not reveal the reason for his trip to see her. The nest woman on his list is New Age pet psychic Carmen (Jessica Lange), whose lesbian assistant (Chloe Sevigny) resents Don's intrusion. Carmen's so fruity that Don does not even attempt to really tell her why he stopped by. His fourth ex-lover is Penny (Tilda Swinton), a biker chick whose boyfriend punches Don out when she goes psycho just a minute after meeting him. A fifth lover is now dead, and he returns to his posh home, and Winston, unsatisfied....Others have detailed the rest of the film.... Jarmusch is still a daring director, but he seems to be in mid-life crisis mode, not knowing what he will do next, or what he should do.
September 8, 2008

Broken Flowers

The start of it was boring and it is depressing to watch for those who just broke up with their mates. September 1, 2008

Beautiful.

I am a big fan of Jarmusch and Bill Murray and when the two come together we see a great character named Don Johnston come to the screen. When auteur Jarmusch focuses on an actor he tends to give them the freedom they need to really bring a character to life. Like all of Jarmusch's films this one is filled with "in-between" moments, an obsession that Jarmusch has had and made obvious in other works such as Coffee and Cigarettes and Night on Earth, the moment that most film makers would cut away from but in Broken Flowers many of them become very meaningful and and interesting scenes.

One scene of this film will always stay with me because of the emotion Murray is able to convey as he sits under a tree. The short scene is perhaps the best acting I have ever seen from Bill Murray and his ability to convey emotion seems to shine in this film.

One thing that really amazes me about Broken Flowers is the amount of interpretation this film provides. The film has something for each viewer providing they are patient with it. This film is not one you should watch when you are tired and trying to relax because the film depends on viewer involvement. I own this film and every time I've watched it I have found different personal interpretations. In fact so much that I have had late night conversations and made very great films who reported it as one of their favorite films when I asked them what kind of movies they liked.

Like most Jarmusch films this film I believe is rooted in literature (Jarmusch did major in English at college) and I think the names of the various characters that Murray meets will show you the irony that Jarmusch provides.

This film made a serious impression on me and became reasons that I have seen all his work and study film. This was my intro to his work and I believe one of his easier films to watch much like Dead Man. I throughly enjoyed the soundtrack and its placement in the film. You will only get out of this movie what you put into it but if you think deeply on the small moments in the film you'll find it a rewarding experience. August 25, 2008

Interesting Character study

I can't decide whether Murray's performance is effortless or lazy. I kept looking for this "Don Juan" to show up and I just didn't see what made him such a lady's man. I found his neighbor Winston interesting. I thought his love for mysteries endearing, plus, he seemed to know Don better than he knew himself. As much as I found the subject matter interesting, the pacing can try the average viewer. It was just a bit too slow for my taste and I really don't care for open endings like this. But there are some things to like about the production.

August 11, 2008

Not your typical comedy

I'm a fan of Jim Jarmusch's simplistic, real life shooting style. And that's what this is. If I be so bold as to call it "real life comedy". There's no over the top scenarios in the Hollywood sense. The story is a little bleak, yet for some reason it appeals to me. Think "Lost in Translation". Bill Murray is a master at being depressed yet still making you smile. This movie is also accompanied by a great soundtrack.

No, this movie isn't hilarious but it's a great movie with many different emotions and left open to many different interpretations. It's worth watching. March 25, 2008

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