Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7854 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-20
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Don Johnston is an empty man. He’s not short of money, thanks to his considerable success with computers, but he is short of emotion, and very much alone. Yet as the latest woman in his life exits stage left, he receives a mysterious note. In it, he learns of a son he never knew he had, with no clues whatsoever to his identity. And so begins Broken Flowers.

Primarily a road movie, it follows Johnston as he tracks back over his past romances and flings, in an attempt to find out who mothered his child, and ultimately, to meet his son. It’s not a task he’s too keen on, and one primarily undertaken at the urging of his next door neighbour. Yet it does make for a compelling film, anchored by yet another superb performance from Bill Murray, as Johnston.

The equal of his work in Lost In Translation, he’s very much the heart of this slow, diligent movie, that doesn’t answer the majority of the questions it poses, yet proves to be something well worth seeking out. And he’s well supported too, not least by Sharon Stone, who turns in lively, yet measured, work as one of Johnston’s exes.

Still, Broken Flowers is clearly not a movie for everybody, with its relaxed pace and willingness to not worry about ticking every box unlikely to earn it truly mass appeal. But it is a little gem in its own right, and a strong addition to an already weight back catalogue for indie moviemaker Jim Jarmusch. It’s worth it alone for Murray, yet Broken Flowers is a movie with plenty else going for it too. Perhaps you might like to give it a try…?--Simon Brew

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 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 neighbour, 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.

Customer Reviews

Prepare to learn nothing
Forgive the rather negative connotations of this title, as this is in fact a very good film. Broken Flowers, however, is not the kind of cinema experience that will be to everybody's liking. If you like a film with a definitive beginning, middle and an end then this is probably not for you. If, on the other hand, you are not frustrated by a film that ask many questions without ever answering them and ends just as it begins, then it is well worth a look.

Don, played expertly by Bill Murray, is a wealthy but lonely man. An aging lothario, he has all the privileges money can buy, but nobody truly special to share it with. As his latest lover walks out on him, he receives and anonymous letter telling him that he has a son. What's more, he has left home to find him. Spurred on by his effervescent neighbour, Winston, Don embarks on a reluctant trip down memory lane to find the mother amongst his numerous ex - loves.

What makes this film so good, in my view, is that it challenges the audience. We know virtually nothing of Don's character, and the sparse script doesn't assist us in this. Nor do we ever find out who the mother is despite clues at every turn. A teenage boy appears at the end, but despite a dialogue with Murray, we are none the wiser

Don is emotionally frozen, seemingly unperturbed by the thought that he may have been a father for some years. Murray projects this with a finely tuned combination of monosyllabic lines and fleeting facial expressions - reminiscent of Richard Geere's deliberately stilted performance in "Unfaithful".

There appear to be two main themes to this film. The first is the Sartrean notion that life is what we make it. We masters of our own destinies and nothing in life is certain except death. Director Jim Marmusch nods at this idea when Murray learns that one of his former loves has since died, and pays an emotional visit to her grave.

The film begins with Murray sitting alone in his spacious house, and ends with him standing alone in the middle of a road with others going off in different directions. You do not need to be a genius to see the symbolic nature of the first and final shot. Further existential weight is added by the dichotomy between Don who is rich yet lives alone, and Winston, who is clearly hard up but has a wife and five children.

Secondly the notion of revisiting the past is brought through. We have probably all wondered at some time what became of our past loves, but very few of us will ever find out. Murray has this dubious privilege, but doesn't like everything he sees. It seems to beg the question - should we keep the past alive or leave it well alone?

This is a very competent film, yet should come with a warning - watching this can seriously damage you patience!

Painful Watching
There's quirky, fun, amusing and thought provoking films out there but sadly, this is not one of them. I think the main issue is that the viewer has no empathy with Bill Murray's character. His deadpan face just grated after a while and instilled pity rather than any sympathy. That and you just spent half the film thinking that Murray's aged badly over the last few years. Not that this is an issue in itself but a symptom of the lack of interest the film inspires. Don Johnston as a character was empty; his former girlfriends were caricatures. That said, it was great to see so many good female actresses in the cast, definitely a redeeming feature. I felt that the thin plot was overloaded with symbolism which it failed to justify. I watched it all the way through hoping that there would be a light bulb moment and resolution. I joked about five minutes from the end that we'd see Bill Murray standing with a blank look on his face and it would just cut to the credits. And guess what, that's exactly what happened. Art for art's sake? Definitely.

Lyrical, subtle and slow building
Broken Flowers is the story of a middle-aged man who receives an anonymous note purportedly from an ex-girlfriend, telling him he has a 19 year old son, whom she raised alone "after our story ended". The note arrives just as his most recent relationship is breaking up. The film tells of his road trip, visiting 4 ex-girlfriends, to see if he can find out more.

His story, that he remained a "Don Juan" bachelor, and made a lot of money in computers, leaving him confortable but empty, looks smaller and smaller, compared to the glimpses we get of the lives of the women he knew twenty years before. Their stories are rich with passion, tragedy, humour or eccentricity.

The film is beautifully shot and has a haunting score.

Broken Flowers has been criticised for having an unresolved ending, but it did not feel that way to me. We know, at the end of the film that Murray's life has been inexorably altered by his search. It is a haunting ending, that lingers long after the film is over.

Definitely a slow-burner, but a brilliant film.