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All Flixster 3.5 Stars (23832) Want To See 14012 Not Interested 39535
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Male 3.0 Stars (10622) Want To See 6245 Not Interested 17621

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Plot: The resolutely single Don has just been dumped by his latest lover, Sherry. Don yet again resigns himself to being alone and left to his own devices. Instead, he is compelled to reflect on his past wh...( read more read more... )

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Recent Reviews

  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 6, 2008
    Real slow but worth it in the end. Bill Murray did a great job of acting.

    The full frontal nude scene of Lolita was *so* not necessary though. Coulda done without that.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 5, 2008
    good movie but its almost a silent performance from murray, who doesnt really come off as the ladies man he's trying to portray. still a good movie though
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 3, 2008
    Films with a lack of closure never really bother me. While the majority of casual movie goers will curse and shout at the end of a film like "No Country for Old Men", I simply accept it and try to figure out why it did end that way... and more often than not, there was no need for anymore "closure". The ending of "Broken Flowers" is controversial and many people hated it, but that being said I do feel that it does fit into the "ends just right" category. The problem is that by that point i'm not sure anything could have bothered me - I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters in the film.

    "Broken Flowers" stars Bill Murray, who has become quite the indie darling over the past decade. From "Rushmore" to "Lost in Translation", he's certainly become a master at subtle deadpan comedy. This, of course, is odd coming from the man who made his name in films like "Caddyshack" as an over-the-top bumbling moron. In this film, Murray's character is Don Johnston, a successful retired man who just had another failed attempt at a relationship. However, shortly after Shelly (Julie Delpy) walks out on him, a strange letter arrives telling him that he has a son. The problem? He's not sure which one of the girls from his past wrote the letter.

    Luckily for Don, his next door neighbor, Winston (Jeffrey Wright), is an aspiring mystery writer and amateur sleuth. Boy, that's convenient! After a night of heavy researching, Winston is able to provide addresses for four of Don's ex-girlfriends and creates an itinerary for the trip (what would've happened had the first girl been the right one?). Although the idea of this trip is essentially for Don to reflect on his past and see what could have been, I had a hard time believing that the ultimate couch potato wouldn't simply resort to four simple phone calls. The four women he does visit all have vibrant personalities... so vibrant, they become caricatures. There's Laura (Sharon Stone) and her daughter Lolita (Alexis Dziena), both seductresses, Dora (Frances Conroy), a straight-laced realtor living in an example home, Carmen (Chloe Sevigny), an animal communicator, and finally Penny (Tilda Swinton), a hardass biker girl.

    Although I loved Murray's deadpan delivery in both "Lost in Translation" and "Rushmore", it didn't completely work for me in this film. There was still plenty of charm to combat Murray's void of expression in "Lost in Translation", but here he comes off as the most uncharismatic and boring person you've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, Murray's performance isn't boring to watch - but for a character we're expected to invest so heavily in, I would've liked to see some more human qualities. Luckily, all the women in the film are over-the-top which fills in for a lack of character in Don... but at the same time, the women are so unbelievable that I couldn't invest in the picture. After I had met two of the girls, all I could do is think "What gimmick is next? A circus performer?" Although they did get limited screentime, I would have preferred a little bit more than "the biker one", "the sexy one", and "the chick that talks with animals".

    The whole concept of "Broken Flowers" and it's set up is incredibly contrived. It seemed as though the characters were written only within the script... I felt like you'd never see these people in the real world. For instance, the whole character of Winston as an amateur sleuth was just so he can aid Murray's quest to finding these women. I didn't feel like anyone outside of Don was a real character - they all just came off as a simple plot device. It just didn't work for me.

    That being said, I didn't hate the film at all. There were a lot of things I liked about it. I think that the ending was the film's strongest and most powerful point. Although it's inconclusive, one must remember that this is not meant to be a mystery film. This is more of a story of self-discovery... therefore, you don't really need to come to any sort of answer or ending. It's simply about a man confronting his past. But, like I said before, after what I felt was a sub-par build up, I can't blame anyone who felt cheated at the end of the film.

    I didn't hate this at all, but it did greatly disappoint me. I love Murray's subtle facial movements and deadpan comedy as much as the next guy, but I felt that "Lost in Translation"s strengths were "Broken Flowers" downfalls.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 2, 2008
    I like Bill Murray. I also rather liked this movie. It seemed to drag along on some parts but it was understandable. Existentialism live and well in this film. Interesting concept and good dialogue.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 29, 2008
    i like bill murray, but he's almost too melancholy here, and the film just isn't very good. definitely disappointing.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 17, 2008
    Brilliant!!! Bill Murray at the top of his game once again. The only problem is that we are left wanting more from this movie.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 16, 2008
    the film is slow and has a stupid ending, but it's sort of relaxing at the same time. he goes around to all his previous girlfrends, and its not that bad a film
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 6, 2008
    A quiet and slow paced film - but deep inside it's funny and ironic. I liked it because of all subtle drawn and weird characters.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    July 6, 2008
    This isnt a comedy, but an interesting story. A quest to find the mother of his son who wrote a mystery letter. An undecisive ending, was it the guy who ran away, the guy in the car of a joke? A mystery forever more!
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 26, 2008
    Interesting film. A bit slow at times, with too much lingering on the car journeys. Varied meetings make this movie interesting, and Murray is at his usual best. Would have liked no loose ends though...
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 22, 2008
    i thought it was an interesting drama and i thought bill murray was really well cast in his role, i think that this was/is 1 of bill murray's best movies hes made...i think that the director of this Art House & International, Comedy movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie because its got a good story throughout the movie..
  • 1.0 Star
    MCT:
    June 22, 2008
    This film got 4 stars in the TV times and since there was nothing else on I decided to watch it. This film was might like lost in translation, nothing happened and it was boring and pointless. The ending was terrible and I felt I had wasted 2 hours of my life. I have no idea why it got such a high rating because I absolutly loathed it.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 19, 2008
    One of Bill Murray's best dramatic performances ever. He hits the nail on the head with every aspect of the character. Just a great movie from start to end.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 16, 2008
    As a fan of both Murray and Jarmusch, I have to say I'm very disappointed. All it did was leave me feeling empty. Bill Murray gives a great deadpan performance though.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 15, 2008
    Intriguing performances and storylines; Slightly odd and open ended - but its the films quirkiness which makes it unique.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 20, 2008
    One of the best movies I have seen Bill Murray in. He does offbeat roles SO well. The thing is that even though his character is not entirely likeable (self-absorbed type who appears to be in the throes of a midlife crisis), the fact that Murray plays the part with such honesty made me sympathetic towards the character anyway.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 12, 2008
    Bill Murray is great in this movie. The supporting actors are also very good. The movie has an interesting ending that leaves the viewer to think about it.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 3, 2008
    An old and tired playboy with no emotional nor moral bond or tie to somebody or something whatsoever, reluctantly tries to find all that in a road trip through america. Perhaps Jim Jarmusch's most conventional film, but yet it has his undeniable touch, such as the constant motif of the traveler, general feel of subtlety and coldness, minimalism, a good soundtrack and oddly humorous situations.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    April 12, 2008
    This will be one film that has to be watched if you study Bill Murray. The acting, so docile and cold is very easy for anyone to get hooked to, I was absolutely tuned in to the whole movie and the source was Murray. The film is quite strange and difficult to comprehend, it talks a lot about the past and on how humans treat relationships and how it contrasts with the world, it really explored it in the most unusual way ever and it was magical from star till end. Every girl in this movie is a story by its own, even the girls on the bus.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 28, 2008
    there's something really cool about movies that have a bunch of little segments strewn together by a common plot. this movie involved different little stories starring Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Chloe Sevigny and Tilda Swinton. Bill Murray brings his dry humor to this dark comedy.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    March 20, 2008
    Murray and Jarmusch, two modern masters of minimalism, triumphantly join forces in Broken Flowers, a bittersweet tour de force about a wealthy, deeply depressed lothario.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 11, 2008
    I don't really know...? I was intrigued while watching, but I didn't really find much humor in it nor was I transfixed by the drama. It was just kind of an odd little story I was compelled to watch because of Bill Murray and Jarmusch's work with Wu-Tang. The only lasting image it will leave me with was Lolita going full-frontal - and not only because, y'know, it was a chick going full-frontal. If making a critically-acclaimed movie (I'm assuming) is this easy, sign me up.

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Comments

  • wolverinespussycat
    This film is just shit.
    posted 46 days ago
  • haylzb
    The begining was quite boring and the end very abrupt, but apart from that it is an okay film. The middle was quite good, and could be funny at times
    posted 46 days ago
  • whatwouldkevindo
    Why doesn't this movie get the props it deserves? Damn you people... Damn you all to Hell. Mainly because Michigan is a frightening place. Furthermore, it is a place that anyone who doesn't like this movie deserves to rot at.

    Rot... Rot in Hell, Michigan.
    posted 786 days ago

Details

  • Rated: (R)
  • Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
  • Genres: Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Drama, Comedy
  • Released: August 5, 2005
  • DVD Released: January 3, 2006

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