The pace of "Broken Flowers" is slow, but Jarmusch treats us to an almost dizzying array of vivid, unexpected details.
Broken Flowers (2005)
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Reviews Counted:181
Fresh:157
Rotten:24
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Bill Murray's subtle and understated style complements director Jim Jarmusch's minimalist storytelling in this quirky, but deadpan comedy.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Aug 5, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $13,578,173
Synopsis: With BROKEN FLOWERS, staunchly independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch delivers one of his most pleasing, accessible pictures. Winner of the 2005 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, the film tells... With BROKEN FLOWERS, staunchly independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch delivers one of his most pleasing, accessible pictures. Winner of the 2005 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, 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. In typical Jarmusch fashion, he wrote the script for BROKEN FLOWERS with his casting firmly in mind: only Murray could play this role. The result showcases Murray's brilliance as a less-is-more presence. Jarmusch also gives some of Hollywood's most talented female actresses roles they can relish. A hundred percent Jarmusch, BROKEN FLOWERS is a wry, tender, and bittersweet portrait of a man who is drifting aimlessly through life. [More]
Starring: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton
Starring: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton, Julie Delpy, Jessica Lange
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Screenwriter: Jim Jarmusch
Producer: Jon Kilik, Stacey E. Smith, Jim Jarmusch
Studio: Focus Features
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Reviews for Broken Flowers
... the best film Jarmusch has made since DEAD MAN... a natural extension of what Jarmusch has always done rather than just an excuse to work with a movie star.
When the end credits started to roll, an awed numbness came over me; I was more moved by the film than I had expected, and I knew I had seen something great.
All he's left with is a look of blank existential exhaustion. From this stoic clay, Murray's every twitch and flicker sculpts complex inner wounds.
Broken Flowers won't win any fans for Jarmusch or late-model Murray, but as an eloquent and compassionate study of regret and self-mourning, it's a wonder.
Ultimately, the Jarmusch-Murray matchup, for all its flaws, offers a uniquely bittersweet experience, a movie with some broken funny bones and a questioning heart.
Movies like this classically low-key, slightly off-kilter effort by Jim Jarmusch are the reason the term “art house film” was coined in the first place.
Broken Flowers manages to charm us with its encompassing fragrance, the pungency of life forces emerging from the muck.
There's a real poignancy in watching Murray's emotional chill thaw from the heat generated by even the idea of romance, or at least its more libidinous evil twin, lust.
A marvelous movie, with Bill Murray scoring again in the realm of drama.
Moving, mirthful and minimalist, Broken Flowers is a bittersweet treat from indie great Jim Jarmusch.
For those who appreciate [Jarmusch's] style of film manipulation, and slow and steady storytelling, run to the theater this weekend. Enjoy.
A minimalist miracle that transcends comedy and drama to wind up in a bigger and wiser place.
Broken Flowers ends on a pleasingly poignant note without relinquishing its sense of gentle absurdity.
The film's singlemindedness, like Murray's solipsism, keeps it from feeling fully formed.
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