Some reviews are a joy to write. They fall off my fingers because of the way a film spoke to me. Jim Jarmusch has made a movie for everyone without losing touch with what has made him one of his generations most interesting filmmakers.
BROKEN FLOWERS
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Focus Features
105 Minutes
Rated R for Nudity, sexuality and language
Beginning with a letter Broken Flowers is a reminder that sometimes the simplest way of saying the simplest thing can set in motion the profoundest of revelations. I've never been a huge fan of Jim Jarmusch. His work always seems to generate an inordinate amount of buzz. What was Coffee and Cigarettes but an extended too often weak riff? And though some swear by Night on Earth or Dead Man I confess I find them engagingly quirky but lacking any real emotional resonance, they are as much about their style as their characters. Oddly it's lesser Jarmusch films that have held my attention the longest, films like Ghost Dog, precisely because they sacrifice some of their artifice to bringing their characters to life. What of Strangers in Paradise? Haven't seen it. Down By Law? I should probably see it again, it isn't fresh enough in my mind and maybe that's it's own comment.
But Broken Flowers is NOT lesser Jarmusch. It takes one of the great character actors and thrusts him into a situation that is not just tailor made for his unique presence but tailor made for our emotional response. Bill Murray is literally the only actor who could play Don Johnston but anyone can put themselves in the characters shoes, feel what the character feels. When it comes out on DVD put it on the shelf with Rushmore, and Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers is that good.
Murray plays Don Johnston an aging lothario who's leapt from one bed to another only to wind up alone in his nice digs watching The Private Lives of Don Juan on a big screen TV. The only light in his life comes from his next door neighbor Winston whose much more humble abode is filled with the joyous antics of children, a loving wife, home cooking and Winston's constant need for help in performing the simplest computer functions in the service of his hobby- private eye work and mystery novel writing.
When Don gets a mysterious letter informing him that he has an eighteen year old son out looking for him, Winston sees it as a sign that Don should revisit his old flames in search of the mother. Reluctantly Don hits the road and emerges as a rogue but a rogue willing to take the road less traveled towards much needed change.
Jarmusch squeezes life into a journey we've seen characters go on before by combining whimsy with weariness, danger and discomfort. His old lovers are a mix of married, single and widowed women who lead a mix of uptight, safe, and slightly loopy lives. Don is welcomed, reviled, dismissed and bedded but ultimately ends up in a place that would have left viewers feeling robbed if Jarmusch wasn't so gifted in helping them go on their own journey's.
Jarmusch does paint in broad strokes but they are human and natural truly contributing to the whole of his story. One of Don's former lovers has a daughter named Lolita who behaves exactly the way we expect a thirteen year old named Lolita to behave. But Jarmusch finds the humor not so much in Don's discomfort but in the harder place of Lolita's desperate ploy for attention. Likewise Jessica Lange's turn as an animal communicator (not a psychic- a communicator. How would you feel if a woman who claimed to be able to talk to cats could see through you like cheap paper. Don has lost himself but the Lange character is perfectly at home in her post Don existance.
Does Don find out who his son is, who the mother is? In this case getting there is all the fun and Broken Flowers serves as a poignant reminder that the adventure of living doesn't start with Once Upon A Time or often end with Happily Ever After. Does Don's story have a satisfactory ending? Jarmusch turns that last question on his audience in a way I found empowering and hopeful and worthy of the talent he so clearly commands. Is it an ending? You decide.
I have two reasons to be grateful to Bill Murray now. One is, of course, for making me laugh longer and louder than any other actor ever has. But the other is for making movies that make it seem real and noble to search for meaning. One distracts or brings life through a special kind of relief the other validates at the core.
How I do miss the golden days of Chevy.
It didnt really do anything at all to me but I guess you get what you thrawl for.
After reading your review that settles it Im going to see Broken Flowers. A movie I would otherwise never go to see. I saw Bill Murray grocery shopping the other day with his family and I was looking up what movies he had been in when I saw this article,so thanks Ill write back and let you know if I agreed.
I was able to see "Broken Flowers" a couple of weeks into its run, and enjoyed the film very much. I concur with the roles that Bill Murray now chooses. He is not afraid to act his age, and the baggage that comes with time. "Broken Flowers" does allow him to embark on a journey to put some perspective on his life to this point. The fact that he has loved and lost (the 'lost' part remains unanswered) will continue to haunt him perhaps for the rest of his life. "Nothing is written in stone", and "it is never to late to change", are axioms that could very well be applied to this quiet film that resonates long after the credits roll.
"There is an End" written by the Greenhornes and performed by Holly Golightly, is an outstanding piece to open and close with. The supporting cast are there but for fleeting moments, but all impact the film, whether it be in a comedic or dramatic vein. Murray's tough, indifferent outer shell begins to crumble bit by bit. There is a scene that will just break your heart. The film does allow you to interpret and think which is what the Murray films of late have done. His films tend to stay with me long after "The End". Life isn't tied up in a neat little package. As Canfield stated so well in the above critique, not everything is "Once Upon a Time" and "They Lived Happily Ever After" - it's what happens in between. I for one am glad that I took the journey as well. Well worth the airfare and the car rental.
I am baffled by the buzz about this film. I saw it last night and found it inordinately slow, stultifying and tedious.
Murrays deadpan expressions enlivened only by the occasional raised eyebrow fail to flesh out two hours of meaningless meandering as Don Johnston plods woodenly from one alienated sterile encounter to another. There is no movement, no change, no character development and no reason on Gods good earth why anyone would give two hoots about Johnston or his uninvolved 'nothing better to do' search for his long lost son.
Light relief is added from Johnstons bestfriend comedy stereotyped draw smoking black man with 5 kids 3 jobs a 'woman' who 'showa can cook' and is the driving force behind Murrays road trip. But only just.
The only good thing about the ending, equally as pointless and lacking in merit as the 2 hours preceding it, was the fact it did finally signal I could stop holding my eyes open and go and watch the paint dry on my newly painted bathroom wall.
You get to see some teen muff.
This kind of cheap and lazy nihilism is just so boring, and the non-ending suggests that even Jim Jarmusch couldn;t be bothered any more. This film is designed to impress those who assume that any film without obvious interest or appeal must be "arty". No, it's just tedious, and waste of the talent of Bill Murray, who might as well have been replaced by a waxwork for most of it.
This was a very good movie; it had a beginning, a middle, and oops no end. I really liked it, until I realized it had no ending, at which point I hated it for wasting my time.
If I need a video that encourages me to look at past relationships, I'll hire a therapist.
If I want to enjoy a movie, I'll certainly avoid this shit from now on.
Was a good movie with no ending. What? Did you run out of money?
After much aticipation and with free time on holiday Broken Flowers found its way into my life. It wasn't life changing but in parts subtley funny. I like Bill Murray and am not familiar with Jarmusch's past work but found Broken Flowers to be questioning where we are in our lives and what the consequences of our past have on our present and future.
I liked Don Johnston and find Murray plays the jaded, confused old guy well, as he does in Lost in Translation, which I also loved. I like his 'deadpan' and subtle facial expressions and find much humour and meaning in them. Johnston's exploration into the possibility of a son breaks up his otherwise boring life. I think for the character it was a worthy journey and for me a cautionary tale as to what maybe if his life path is taken.
I get it...dont any of you??? The most important clue is right a t the end of the movie...The beat up volkswagon driving by with some guy staring a t Bill as it drives by. My those eyes look a lot like Bill's. Hmmm do a little web search..BINGO...THAT my friends IS BIll Murrays real son HOMER.. Very clever
I want my money back
WTF? dont want it...dont get it!
definately a film for those who want to have deep discussions afterwards and sound all arty farty clever and talk a load of c**p, the type of person who goes on a journey to 'find themselves' on the way to the corner shop to buy a loaf of bread...
dunno about you but i like a film that gives me an ending, not one where i have to go and meditate for 5 hours (or trawl the internet) to find out what the hell it meant...just to find out it was up to me to decide anyway!
The film was advertised as a comedy but seemed to have been filmed more like a nostalgic road movie.I quite liked the premise of his visiting old flames and it was interesting to see their reactions to Don Johnston.
The disappointing thing was the ending.You had Don Johnston standing in the street puzzling it out but for the viewer there was no closure only unanswered questions. Which, if any, of the old flames was the sender of the letters? Was there really a son? If so why didn't he turn up at the house? I suspect that the sender was his current girlfriend no doubt hoping that having seen how his old flames had turned out, he would somehow find the commitment to marry her.Guess each one of us will have to write our own ending on this one.
Half way through the film i went to make a cup of coffee. I felt great, this was a great road trip movie a journey. I had thought about a story like this - ie what would it be like to revisit all your old girlfriends, turn up on the door see how theve changed. lots of permutations and humour available. its also personally interesting as its something im sure we can all relate to.i then thought theres a problem - one needs a reason for the journey - enter the mysterious pink letter. Hence in my view the pink letter was pretty much what hithcock defined as ‘The McGuffin' .Which was secondary to the real narrative.
I also wondered about Jarmoush use of the nude scene. While effective it did make me think that the scene just lost him a big chunk of the potential audience as the censors would give the film a R or 18 rating - commercially wise - im really not sure.
However more commercially challanging is the ambiguous ending. Although the real identity as i said was a McGuffin the film needed in my opinion closure. Even though the story is about the journey - the film focussed on a question relating to identity. As the question was asked it was teasing and unsatisfying not to have a clear answer. Therefore when i went to get my tea after the film i thought that was potentially a great film. Murray continues to be my favourite actor and i look forward to seeing him in something soon.And whats with the suicidal povs of oncoming trucks - i love the way murray looks now - think hes refined with age like a vintage wine.
he seems to have such a wit - he should write and direct his next film.
every time he stood outside a door - i was in heaven - what next...
i would have like to have seen him visit more old girlfriends but there could have been tighter editing.in places i felt that it dragged a little. However some moments were priceless like when murray was eating carrots or lookikng at the womens legs at the airport.
I identified with the character. From a marriage as a young man, I have one child who lives elsewhere. I went to college after that relationship to enable myself to be in a position (career and income) to be a better provider. I did become successful financially. But in doing so the years somehow flew by. Now at my age I wonder would it be right to start a family? So, for the character Don Johnston to learn he had a son, it gives him hope, a purpose, possibly a family. So, he goes on his journey.
I was actually browsing the net to see what the ending was. I thought I'd missed something, but it seems there was something missing. I think these films target people who don't understand a thing and then praise the director for making you think, as they pretend to see an artistic side to meaningless material.
If you haven't seen it yet, go and see an art gallery or something instead. It's got more life in it!
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