Directed by:
Jim JarmuschScreenplay:
Jim JarmuschCinematography:
Frederick ElmesComposer:
Mulatu AstatkeCast:
Bill Murray, Julie Delpy, Brea Frazier, Jeffrey Wright, Meredith Patterson, Ryan Donowho, Alexis Dziena, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Christopher McDonald (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
The film tells the story of Don Johnston (Bill Murray), a man overflowing with wealth but void of emotion. On the day that his most recent girlfriend (Julie Delpy) has given up on him for good, he learns, through an anonymous letter, that he might be the father of a 19-year-old boy. Spurned into action by his wannabe private eye neighbor, Winston (Jeffrey Wright), Don sets off on a personal journey to visit the former partners who may or may not have mothered his child. They include the flighty Laura (Sharon Stone), whose daughter Lolita (Alexis Dziena) certainly lives up to her name; the uptight Dora (Frances Conroy), who has settled into a sterile life with her chipper husband, Ron (Christopher McDonald); the strangely distant Carmen (Jessica Lange), who makes a living as an "animal communicator;" and, finally, Penny (Tilda Swinton), a hard-edged biker who is the least happiest to see Don. Each confrontation leaves Don feeling more lost than the last, spinning him into an even greater state of apathetic confusion. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
Again Bill Murray just sits there gazing. And again you wouldn’t hesitate to give him an armful of the highest acting awards. Jim Jarmusch, as if just by the by, almost indifferently filmed another in a row of seemingly uninteresting stories. And again it’s a success. Although it defies all logic, and although you might expect it to be a barely bearable artsy farce, the magic is there again. I don’t understand why, but I really enjoy it. Jim is simply a god and the category “actor" is too small for Bill. He must be something higher.
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Like in real life. Mine, yours, anyone's. You don't have to be a bachelor who sits around and sweats most of the day to understand what this Don (Juan) Johnston is doing. Broken Flowers is a film in which almost everything is minimalist - the script, the direction, Bill Murray's performance... Yet it still has more to say than many others.
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I never really related to Jarmusch much (based on my experience with the poser-like Dead Man), but thanks to Broken Flowers and especially through his vampire fable Only Lovers Left Alive, I know he has a sense of humor. It's just not humor for everyone. So what's so wonderful about Broken Flowers? Bill Murray, of course. And the whole cohort of beautiful mature women. The tender Julie Delpy, the very sexy Sharon Stone, the fragile Frances Conroy, the refined Jessica Lange, and, last but not least, the wild Tilda Swinton. One can imagine a wonderful parallel to today's The Private Life of Don Juan. I only rarely share the feelings prescribed in the directing explication. I like slow-fading films.
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A film that literally enchanted me with its poetry, its way of capturing human nature (completely naturally), and how perfect its individual characters are. The natural acting of great actors is wonderful, and Bill Murray is simply magical. Even though it's not primarily a comedy, but rather a quite depressing look into the life of a person who hasn't accomplished much, in the end, you realize that it's a beautiful film about how everyone creates their own life. And it's up to each person whether or not they regret what they've experienced and done.
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The most stereotypically constructed tragicomedy about a man who doesn't seem to exist. Bill Murray essentials spends the entire runtime wearing only one grimace, yet he tells us everything important from the story of the resigned Don Juan. Who is surprised by this? Jarmusch subordinates the rhythm of the edit and the composition of the shots to the main character. Everything repeats itself, drags, cycles, looks absolutely unobtrusive. Sometimes, the editing is very funny. The individual situations appear deliberately surreal. The whining music feels like it is from another world. The Broken Flowers in the vase actually tilt and wither as they see fit. And I really like it.
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