Broken Flowers Reviews

No Lost in Translation

Bill Murray turns in another understated performance this time for Jim Jarmusch in Broken Flowers. Murray stars as the unfortunately named Don Johnston, a sort of latter day Don Juan who’s comfortable life is turned slightly askew when he receives a letter informing him he has an eighteen year old son from a former conquest. As the letter is unsigned Don inflicts on himself an odyssey through the past to find the truth.

Broken Flowers has been described as Jarmusch’s most commercial film yet. Though this is true, viewers may find the director’s choice of long static shots and preference to leave major plot points unanswered slightly infuriating. Murry is superb as Don but one wonders how long this style of acting or non-acting can be stretched before audiences become indifferent.

As with previous Jarmusch features, it is the secondary characters that are most successful. Sharon Stone’s trailer trash mother accompanied by jailbait daughter Lolita is inspired and Jeffrey Wright’s detective and Ethiopian jazz obsessed neighbour is a standout.

While intermittently amusing, Broken Flowers does not compare favourably with previous Murry films such as Rushmore and Lost in Translation but will not tarnish his recent movie-making renaissance.

.. is that it then?

I think Jarmusch decided to give us a glimpse of some interesting characters, humorous lines and, just to tease us even further, fabulous acting and then leave us to make up a story all by ourselves.

To create a film which is blatantly devoid of a plot or storyline is just not fair. Sure you can think ... well maybe this meant that and that meant this ... but that's just as boring as someone asking you to figure out their dream for them.

I was so disappointed at the end of this movie I shouted at my TV, something I haven't done since I saw Pearl Harbour.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Like, really cool, dood - not!

You've got to hand it to Bill Murray: he's made a career, and presumably a lot of money, from being a half-trick wonder - a character actor with one single expression, that of a slightly cross, constipated Beagle.

There are, I imagine, loads of Americans who - bless 'em - confuse this with acting or talent or SOMETHING. Good for them, if they genuinely have the stomach for this blankness. It's NOT INTERESTING.

That there are lovely women actually willing to throw themselves at a Bill Murray character (as opposed to Bill Murray, movie star) is inconceivable to any man - well, this one, anyway.

Having just ripped this film to shreds, I have to say that it isn't as bad as, for example, 'Lost in Translation', perhaps because of the variety and quality of the actresses involved, though for all the promotion they're in fact rather underused; and at least it doesn't have that film's disagreeable let's-laugh-at-foreigners attitude.

But you really have to be a Bill Murray fan to tolerate this film; if you're not, or are indifferent, give it a miss.

Slightly disappointing

In a similar vein to Lost in Translation, we follow Bill Murray on a road trip to track down the woman from his past who may be the mother of his son.

This is definitely one for Bill Murray fans. If you thought Lost in Translation was over rated, give this a miss! Nice to see some fine 40s actresses, but none of them are full utilized - particularly disappointing is the 2 line appearance of our own Tilda Swinton, one of the most interesting actresses around, but hardly worth naming in the cast here.

Quite slow moving, but with some nicely comic moments, this was an ok film, but I hope Bill Murray goes for a different sort of film soon - one that involved him doing something other than deadpan, and not having young girls falling all over him!!!! Girls, do you really think Bill Murray is sexy?? I think not...

Calling all Insomniac's, paint drying watchers and those into S&M

No, No, No, and just to make sure you don’t misinterpret my message No, again. My two housemates actually banned me “from having the independent freedom and right to choose a DVD again” because of this film, and I don’t think they were joking…which to be honest, now seems fair enough. Please do NOT get this film. I just wasted just over ninety minutes of my life watching it and I will never get them back….I could write ninety minutes worth of scathing review about this film and it would probably be more interesting.

Okay, okay, I’ll get to actually reviewing the film, but be warned the plot of Broken Flowers is thinner than one of Kate Moss’s nostril hairs. So, here goes. Bill Murray plays Don Johnston (that’s right with a ‘T’, hilarious isn’t it?!) A retired yet seemingly wealthy enough man, who can afford to while his days away, lay on the sofa, endlessly watching old films. Now, somehow he also seems to have an equally endless list of ex-girlfriends and on the day his current lover (Sherry) Julie Delpy), walks out on him, an anonymous pink letter arrives, from one of his exes proclaiming that some twenty years ago, she became pregnant, that he was the father and the resourceful son had set out to try and find the identity and whereabouts of his dad. Old Don ‘Juan’ston (see what I did there?) has a neighbour who is a private detective or amateur sleuth of some kind, (I really can’t remember as I had partially switched off), called Winston (Jeffrey Wright), - who takes it upon himself to help, by asking Donny boy to write a list of ex-girlfriends (initially an inexplicably long list)which through some kind of elimination process gets narrowed down to four names. Winston takes it upon himself to researches flight details, car hire accommodation etc for Don. Donny boy then visits these four women unannounced to see if he can figure out or if they admit to being the sender of the letter. That’s the plot. I was going to write, that’s the plot in a nutshell, but that literally is the plot.

Cue lots of slow, very little happening - except Bill Murray travelling shots, extended silences, the odd facial expression but basically still nothing actually happening.

It’s a terrible film and an excuse for Jim Jarmusch to indulge himself in being a pretentious film maker. And for equally, if not more pretentious people to pretend ‘Oh yuh, like, god. It’s amazing’ when in reality nothing happens, there are a few small subtle jokes but you really have to probably be watching the film AND still be listening to spot them.

I think the film is trying to rely on being a bit quirky, showing people as a bit oddball and highlight their idiosyncrasies, but it really isn’t enough to constitute the plot of a film. Also, do you remember I told you the anonymous letter was pink? Well you’re supposed to (I guess) be on the look out for ‘pink things’ throughout the ‘film’ to try to guess which the mother may actually be. So, obviously Bill Murrays ‘character’ notices these ‘pink things’ almost everywhere, ‘yep another world beater’.

I know it’s a crazy, wacky, out-there idea, but I like a film where something actually happens, plot that is based on more, than a couple of odd people and a very tiny handful of weakfish observations/gags.

I once read somewhere (it may have been Harold Pinter I can’t be bothered to research it) stating that a story should start with a “brick smashing through a window” meaning to emphasise the fact that you need to ‘grip’ the audience from the start. This film ‘gripped’ me alright with uncontrollable rage and anger, that I had chosen such a poor film and I’m normally placid. The last fight I had was when I was seven and that was because Daniel Thirkettle pulled my best cardie. I don’t mind telling you, the ire I felt at this film easily surpassed that incident. Oh yeah the film also stars Sharon Stone,Frances Conroy, Alexis Dziena, Christopher McDonald, Jessica Lange

Chloe Sevigny and Tilda Swinton i’m losing too much enthusiasm to tell you what roles they play and what they do, but the chances are they didn’t do anything. Have I been scathing enough? Scathe, scathe, scathe…..just needed to make sure. If you have seen this film and think I am being harsh, I’m sorry, so I’ll add something positive about this film (I want to say the great moment when the films over) but instead I will just mention that Broken Flowers did win the 2005 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival…presumably this title is some kind of euphemism for Emperors new clothes award in films, as I can’t think of one single reason that this film would win…..please NEVER watch it.

Bill Murray is a great actor, who’s in my opinion going to waste, Groundhog day was probably his finest hour (I am not sure about ‘lost in translation’ I had an overriding memory of it being pretty boring but everyone seems to rave about it, so perhaps I do need to give it another watch but I’m pretty sure it was a case of nothing really happening again)

I can’t help thinking that my ‘review’ is going to have the adverse effect and people will now want to watch it to see if it’s as bad as I said it was….well I tried to warn you, I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t !