Broken (2006)

During one fateful night at the diner in which she waits tables, Hope (Heather Graham), a young transplant to Los Angeles from the Midwest, comes face to face with her own version of the seven deadly sins... Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Greed, Pride, and of course Wrath, which erupts in the form of her ex-boyfriend Will (Jeremy Sisto). Her dark-side incarnate comes at her from every angle this night in an all-out effort to devour her soul.

Sharp Edges, and Busted Dreams

BROKEN was an extremely well-acted movie with an excellent cast. Heather Graham was wonderful as Hope, a girl whose dreams were quickly becoming nightmares with the advent of an obsessive, junkie boyfriend, Will ( Jeremy Sisto ) and his psychotic inability to leave her alone, after she breaks up with him.

Though BROKEN jumps back, and forth a bit, most of the film deals with one fateful night, in which all of Hope's demons show up as pompous producers, an affected record agent, low-level dealers, a talent-searching madame ( played to calculating, perfection by Linda Hamilton ), and a derelict. Then things really start to get bad....

There is an unrelenting quality about this movie, and a very tangible feeling of desperation that reminded me of one of my all-time favorite films, RUSH ( with Jason Patric, and Jennifer Jason Leigh from 1991 ), and like that exquisitely edgy picture, one viewing is not enough.

May 29, 2008

THE EMPERIOR IS NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES AND THIS FILM IS NOT THAT GOOD! 2 1/2 STARS!

I know I'm going to get some heavy flack for this review, but I have to be honest.....this film is not that good! I love little independent films like this, but I have seen many that are far better dealing with similar situations. The characters seemed cookie cutter to me and for a film as short as this I found myself looking at my watch....not a good sign. I am really surprised at the high praises on this site as I just didn't feel that involved. It's not a really bad film, but lower your expectations. While the acting is first rate the film is just OK and that's about it. May 27, 2008

What is THIS?!

"Broken" at first, didn't make much sense, until I realized that it does not unfold in a linear manner. The jumping around is at times, hard to follow, but it all meshes together in the end. The best I can say without giving away the whole shooting match is that it involves a 24 hour period in the life of the protagonist, Hope (Heather Graham). Most of it, at least. For a great part of it, we see what she does when she's not dreaming of stardom as a musician, a waitress in a greasy spoon. The patrons of said greasy spoon are what can only be referred to as "hangers-on" and the typical losers normally found on city streets after those with a life have retired to their homes.

Hope has a boyfriend (though the "friend" part is questionable, at best), Will (Jeremy Sisto), a self-destructive loser type who is not beyond spreading the wealth. Hope's life is slowly being flushed down the toilet with Will's help, and one wonders if she REALLY comes above the downward spiral she finds herself in (I found myself cheering on Will, because at times, Hope is acting too stupid to want to help!).

Into this melee' are a barnload of what can only be referred to as "Hollywood has-beens". There is a haggard looking Linda Hamilton, as a "Madam" of sorts. A VERY haggard Tess Harper (who actually looked the part), and Jake Busey, who looks less like his father, and more like a low-brow neanderthal every time I see him. These are the denizens of the early morning Los Angeles. It amazed me how accurate their portrayals were, as I, myself used to live in L.A., and I saw these people every day, on my way to work! It IS amazing that young people STILL trek to Hollywood to be "discovered" (sort of the same type of lie that makes people believe that the island of Oahu is still a paradise!).

"Broken" is a sobering view of a life side-tracked by drugs, self-delusion and dreams of the type that make up the film's title. April 18, 2008

Graham Picks Up the Pieces of 'Broken' Life

A dense psychological drama that packs a walloping punch in a short hour and a half, Alan White's "Broken" is a testament to anyone who has ever been caught at an unfortunate crossroads in life, forced to look back at all the wrong exits taken.

Heather Graham is Hope, a transplant from Cleveland stuck at a dead-end job as a waitress in a dive of a diner on the outskirts of Los Angeles. A struggling musician not completely given up on scoring her big break, the transgressions and evils that have colored her past come back and stare her dead in the face in one harrowing night before her shift ends at 6 a.m., forcing her to face the beasts within and struggle to free herself of them for good.

Chief among her tormentors is Will, her ex-boyfriend portrayed by Jeremy Sisto. Through flashbacks it is shown why Hope allowed herself to fall in love and trust him implicitly, leaving herself open to manipulation and heroin addiction. Fed up with the wasted days, she refuses to let her life slip by as a slave to the drugs, and has asked him to keep away so that she may restore harmony in her life.

Other demons to confront Hope flow like wine in the form
of customers she waits on. A pair of junkies objectifies her and switches focus to her addiction, while a brooding, mysterious woman sits on her stool perched and observant, clearly the product of broken dreams and grave bodily abuse - possibly an indicator of what Hope could become. Vulgar record executives come in with their budding new starlets flanked by emaciated musicians, only to order side salads and insist not on yogurt but "soygurt."

A brazen middle-aged woman even makes a sales pitch of sorts to Hope, soliciting her "services" to high-powered clientele - notably record executives - reminding her that there is only "a finite amount of time in a young woman's life when the cards are in her favor." It does not help that an ecstasy-ridden young girl wanders in with two unscrupulous men at either side, asking help of Hope when can barely help herself.

As she puts it, the circumstances of Hope's night are quickly beginning to resemble a "freak show." Little does she know that Will is about to rear his ugly head again, unwilling to let her escape from his grasp again.

Graham has a well-defined power that is subtle and dignified. Those only aware of her work in mainstream box office comedies need only sit through a few minutes of "Broken" to see it evidenced - she is not merely a pretty accessory to Mike Myers or Steve Martin, but a rich talent capable of becoming a story's centrifugal force. She injects her character with humanity, turning Hope into an everywoman the audience can empathize with. Sisto, who may run the risk of becoming typecast if he continues to portray intense, jealous types as he did in the late Adrienne Shelley's penultimate "Waitress" last year opposite Keri Russell, is also highly impressive as he embodies Will's one-track mind. With every fiber of his being consumed by winning back Hope's trust, Will becomes difficult for the viewer to dismiss, immediately holding a mirror up Hope's struggle to rid him from her life in order to get it back on track.

Michael A. Goorjan and Tess Harper turn in praiseworthy supporting turns, helping transform an ordinary diner into a virtual nexus of Hope's universe. It is a universe where her hopes and dreams collide head on with her deepest fears and basest desires, all ensconced in blue - a chilly, cyanotic, neon blue. Even the name of the diner itself is The Blue Star.

It's not the stuff of large box office grosses or coveted statuettes, but "Broken" deserves its place on the shelf. Moody and engaging, the messages delivered through its protagonist are universal and ring true. To move on, the past must be confronted, the slate wiped clean. February 7, 2008

boulevard of shattered scenes

the field of possible
the view of impossible
the stunning small
of heather graham's back
the smoke and mirror beach hustle
the temptation of deadly sins
the surface of beauty
the sting of spoon and needle
the depth of love
the kiss of life
the producer at the bar
the tunnel in the night on the road
the dream of success
the selling of soul for a dream
the smoke and steam of thought
the low for the high that always ends
the end of the road for us all
the first taste of her lips
the last bowl of lucky charms
the humor dudes in the back booth
the mattress on the roof
the tracks of her tears
the thump thump thump of another
dealer for hire
the dull shine of the daily grind
the script within the script
the strength of harper's prophecy
the thrill of the gun
the smell of diner coffee
the matching tattoos
the wonder of the light
the clock that shuffles a deck of time
the last shoes you stand in
the compassion for each other
the common cry
the rare and independent vision
the broken inside us all
the mind's eye to buy
the field of forever December 22, 2007

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