Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 08, 2005 | | Summary | Great performance from Murray marred by glacial pacing | Content
 | Don Johnston (Bill Murray) receives an anonymous pink letter notifying him that he may have a nineteen year old son who may be looking for him. At a bit of a cross roads in his life; his current girlfriend (Julie Delpy) has just dumped him, he is a bit lost, unsure what to do with the money he made from the Internet boom. He sits in his house, in the dark, thinking, watching old movies, contemplating. His next door neighbor, Winston (Jeffrey Wright), a father with five kids, three jobs and a penchant to become a detective, suggests he visit each of the five women he had relationships with during this period. After some research, Winston determines one of the women died, but comes up with an itinerary to visit the other four. Don is certain that if anything, the letter is a joke, but eventually agrees to Winston's elaborate game, more because he doesn't have anything else to do. Don sets off on his journey and eventually visits Laura (Sharon Stone), Dora (Frances Conroy), Carmen (Jessica Lange) and Penny (Tilda Swinton).
"Broken Flowers", the newest film from writer/ director Jim Jarmusch, is a very good study of one man's journey for meaning in his life. The film is funny at times, touching at times and very, very slow. The pacing is almost glacial. There are a lot of shots which end with Bill Murray's character staring off screen as the film does a slow (very slow) fade away. I don't mind this, but I feel that people should be aware of it before they go. Unfortunately, much like people feel it is okay to talk in theaters because they are conditioned to watching DVDs at home, and talking during the film, people are conditioned to expect a faster pace in their films. The majority of films released today barely hold an image for two seconds, so afraid that the attention of the audience will wander. If a film is for adults, don't worry about this. But I think Jarmusch takes it to the other extreme in "Flowers", the slow fades are nice, but there are too many and they impact the film.
Murray is clearly making a new cottage industry for himself. In his last few films, which were, coincidentally, his most well-reviewed films, he plays very quiet people, observing a lot of the action around him, essentially transforming himself into the straight man. In "Lost in Translation", he played an actor in Japan, making a commercial, lost in the sea of culture swirling around him. In "Flowers", he plays a role which is even more cerebral, but the portrayal works. We watch Johnston as he thinks about things. Not exactly thrilling on paper, but Murray makes it work.
Jarmusch sets up the film to allow Murray to react to the various characters he comes into contact with. His relationship with Winston, played by Jeffrey Wright, is humorous and adds a lot to the portrayal of each. For Murray, this solidifies our feelings that he is lost, nothing to do, nothing to care about. When Winston presents him with the plan, Johnston is so reluctant to participate that when he eventually does, we get the depth of his longing for something to do.
Wright's character is funny and multifaceted. With five kids, three jobs and a hobby, he is a ball of energy compared to Murray, which also adds a lot of depth to Murray's character. Their relationship is unique, funny and interesting. When Winston calls Don, Johnston springs (well, for his character anyway) over to his house to help.
As Johnston visits each of his former girlfriends, he reacts to the craziness in each of their lives. Two of these works really well, the other two don't, creating an uneven balance. Stone and Lange seem to have the most richly observed characters. Their lives are unique and strange, polar opposites from each other, allowing Murray to react and create some real, genuine laughter. Conroy's Dora is stiff and emotionless and I didn't get any connection between them. Dora's husband (Christopher McDonald) is slightly amusing, but the sequence is too long. Conversely, Tilda Swinton's Penny is on screen for all of two minutes, making her role the shortest and most difficult to accept and understand.
A couple of times, people mistake Don's name for the former "Miami Vice" star. He quietly corrects them. This seems like a joke that wasn't completely worked out. Is Jarmusch trying to make fun of Don Johnson's past? If so, the idea seems half-baked.
It seems odd to me that Murray is receiving so much acclaim for such low key performances. His performances are so good, that he deserves the acclaim, but for someone who started his career in high energy comedies, the transformation is all the more remarkable. I thought Murray was great in "Lost in Translation" and he is very good here. But after "Translation", "Life Aquatic" and now "Broken Flowers", each performance seems to have slightly less energy, as though he is simply content to stand and react. And the performances work. But I wonder if his next film will feature him sleeping through the entire film. It seems like the next natural step. And Murray will no doubt make it work.
"Broken Flowers" is a very good, but not great film. It features a very good performance from Murray and some interesting supporting characters. But the pacing is so slow and the supporting performances are uneven, robbing the film of lasting interest, greatness and longevity.
|
| Rating | | | Date | August 07, 2005 | | Summary | Okay but not the best film I have seen this year | Content
| I have been anticipating the release of "Broken Flowers" for a few weeks now. Ever since "Lost in Translation", I have fell in love with Bill Murray's films all over again. His film roles of lately have been quirky and very interesting to watch. Unfortunately I can't really say the same for "Broken Flowers". The premise of the film is interesting. Don Johnston (Bill Murray) discovers through a mysterious letter that he (supposedly) has a 20 year old son. With the insistence of his neighbor Winston (Jeffrey Wright), Don goes out on a search to find out who wrote the letter and who his son is. He pays a visit to Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, and Tilda Swinton.
I found myself a bit bored with the film. The traveling scenes were not necessary. I would have liked to have seen less of Don's visit with Frances Conroy (which for me dragged on longer than it should have been)and more with Tilda Swinton. I thought Don's past with Tilda's character Penny appealed to me the most. I would have liked to have known more about their past relationship. Bill's performance in this film seemed kind of a drag. Jeffrey Wright as Winston stole the film for me. I liked the premise of the film. It is too bad the writing was rather weak. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 07, 2005 | | Summary | Sad Man Learns He's Alone on His Island | Content
| A sad and funny film, Broken Flowers features Bill Murray as Don Johnston, a disaffected, lonely playboy who, with the encouragement of his neighbor Winston, goes on a quest to find four ex-lovers who might tell him about an alleged son that Don fathered nineteen years earlier. Confronting his past, he realizes his limitations and shortcomings as a man who, too scared and selfish to love, is afflicted with an aching hole in his heart.
The film is hilarious if you are fond, like I am, of Bill Murray's priceless expressions of disgruntled cynicism and irony. There is nothing forced or contrived in the film--its plot, its pacing, its themes. The film is assured and confident in what it has to say and as such has nothing in common with the predictable films that try to overwhelm you every second.
One of the major themes of this film is the fear of attachment and as such I would compare it favorably to two other films--You Can Count On Me and The Station Agent. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 06, 2005 | | Summary | Jarmusch Delivers Melancholic Existence Through Brilliant Tale... | Content
| For the uninitiated, Jim Jarmusch cinematic creations are full of existentialism and messages left for the audience to ponder. The films are philosophically dense where there are no single true answers to Jarmusch's questions, yet each viewer will have to strive to find their own interpretation. All of his adventures contain a deeper meaning such as the transcending Mystery Train (1989) where people pass through Memphis to the spiritual Western, Dead Man (1995) with Johnny Depp, while Jarmusch also touches on eastern philosophy in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). Broken Flowers continues on the path that Jarmusch has laid out for himself without deviating from his thoughtful guidance to cerebral enlightenment.
There are several reasons why Jarmusch's films are fascinating. One of the reasons is his visual sense of capturing the essence of time and place, which he efficiently makes use of in the opening of Broken Flowers. The first scene allows the audience to see a hand mailing a pink personal letter, which is then followed through the technology of the postal services until it arrives in the mailbox of Don Johnston (Bill Murray). There are numerous scenes where Jarmusch allows a motionless camera to capture Don's current existence, which brings out the melancholic state that he is experiencing. The first impression might be boredom, for the audience, but if the audience submerges themselves into the story with thoughtfulness they will discover a gem among cinema that deals with existentialism.
Another reason why Jarmusch makes his films interesting is the characters that he has in his film. In this film, Don is a has-been Don Juan with countless number of ex-girlfriends who has lived a life in the moment and never seized the opportunity to plan for the future. This seems to bother him, as he often remains immobile, which suggests that he is in a contemplative state. Yet, he never reaches any conclusions, as nothing ever seem to change around him. For something to happen, an external event must take place that forces him to do something, and in this case it is the pink letter. The story surrounds the pink letter, which he opens in the company with his Ethiopian neighbor and friend Winston (Jeffrey Wright). Through the letter Don finds out that he has a son with a woman he met some 20 years ago, but she kept it a secret until now. However, the letter does not disclose anything in regards to who sent it, or where it comes from. Thus, Winston coerces Don to solve the mystery and find the mother, which is easier said than done.
Winston's forcefulness ushers Don to begin something he would never have done by himself, as Winston asks him to write a list of the women that he thinks could be the possible mothers. With the help of Internet and Mapquest.com Winston finds the women and he produce an extensive traveling plan for Don to see all the women. Don sets off to find the women while listening to Winston's home burnt CD with Ethiopian modern music, which helps generate the mystifying atmosphere that often lingers in Jarmusch's films. It becomes a journey into Don's past, as he seems to find the things that drew him to these women. Furthermore, the audience will discover the similarities among the women, which in itself offers additional amusement.
Broken Flowers plays with visual symbolism in regards to how the environment and people change with time while it is experienced in the present, as Don ponders the future and visits the past. Bill Murray's performance might feel familiar with Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and Lost in Translation (2003), however, he deals with different issues in this film and succeeds in pulling off a unique performance. In addition, there are several strong performances by several actors including Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and many others who enhance the silent and melancholic character that Bill Murray presents. Under Jarmusch's direction the actors deliver dry comedy with moments of laughter, but also a more meaningful existence where he leaves the audience to think about the philosophical possibilities of the past, present, and future. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 05, 2005 | | Summary | Boring. | Content
| "Broken Flowers," I guess, is supposed to be this long, contemplative film about a man's journey into his past to discover how his life and history of loves has added up. Initially, the film is structured as a mystery - as Bill Murray's character tries to find the old girlfriend who bore his son, but it's more about the journey than the destination.
But, to me, this movie was one of the most boring things I've ever sat through. There are an endless number of minutes-long takes of Bill Murray driving a car by himself. There are several scenes of him sitting alone in his living room, listening to the stereo and thinking. A couple of these scenes, where the silences could be meaningful and carry depth, would be fine in a film like this, if the film carried more weight or gave Murray's character more of a background than "a bemused, aging Don Juan." Instead, once the movie ends, I felt like it contained several good scenes where Murray interacted with the old girlfriends and about 30 minutes of dead air. Why, why, WHY were there four editing cuts done as Murray drove a Taurus down a country road? Wouldn't one shot establish the plot point as much as is necessary? I get it. He's driving.
Oh, and I figured out that Murray's character was an aging Don Juan within the first five minutes, when he's watching the movie about Don Juan. I didn't need to have Julie Delpy call him "Don Juan," then have Jeffrey Wright call him "Don Juan," then have everyone comment on how his name is Don Johnston. I get the point. Don't hammer it into the ground.
This is not a good movie. If it gets across-the-board good reviews, I'll be baffled. It's pretentious, meaningless and doesn't go very far. It doesn't function as a mystery. It doesn't function successfully as an illustration of a character. Good actors, like Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy and Sharon Stone, are given little to do in episodic scenes.
All in all, the emperor's not wearing any clothes.
|
|
Picture 01 (20)
