Broken Flowers (2005)

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writers:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)
Bill Raden (inspired by an idea from) ...

Release Date:

26 August 2005 (Iceland)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Sometimes life brings some strange surprises.

Plot:

As the devoutly single Don Johnston is dumped by his latest girlfriend, he receives an anonymous pink letter informing him that he has a son who may be looking for him. The situation causes Don to examine his relationships with women instead of moving on to the next one, and he embarks on a cross-country search for his old flames who might possess clues to the mystery at hand.

Plot Keywords:

Pink | Search | Neighbor | Lolita | Florist

Awards:

4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Bill Murray	...	Don Johnston
Julie Delpy	...	Sherry
Heather Simms	...	Mona (as Heather Alicia Simms)
Brea Frazier	...	Rita
Jarry Fall	...	Winston and Mona's Kid (as Jarry)
Korka Fall	...	Winston and Mona's Kid
Saul Holland	...	Winston and Mona's Kid (as Saul)
Zakira Holland	...	Winston and Mona's Kid
Niles Lee Wilson	...	Winston and Mona's Kid
Jeffrey Wright	...	Winston
Meredith Patterson	...	Flight Attendant
Jennifer Rapp	...	Girl on Bus
Nicole Abisinio	...	Girl on Bus
Ryan Donowho	...	Young Man on Bus
Alexis Dziena	...	Lolita

Also Known As:

Dead Flowers (USA) (working title)
Untitled Jim Jarmusch Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Australia:M | Norway:A | Finland:K-7 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:M18 | Hong Kong:IIA | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:11 | Belgium:KT | Netherlands:MG6 | Brazil:14 | Mexico:B15 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | USA:R (#41745) | Malaysia:U | France:U | Argentina:13 | Hungary:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:14A | Iceland:L | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18SX | New Zealand:M | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Hudson River Stages, Yonkers, New York, USA

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

This project's working title was "Dead Flowers", a possible reference to a song on The Rolling Stones album "Sticky Fingers".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Don speaks with the receptionist at Dr Markowski's office, the angle of the laptop relative to the table changes repeatedly between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sherry: I pretty much have all my stuff.
[picks up mail]
Sherry: Looks like you got a love letter from one of your other girlfriends.

Movie Connections:

Features Cupid Gets his Man (1936)

Soundtrack:

Gubelye

An Exquisite Little Film

I never saw this movie when it came to the theater. Later on, when it arrived on video, the clerks at the local store rolled their eyes and told stories of renters returning it and complaining that it wasn't funny and was boring. So I didn't rent it, being the mindless lemming that would listen to a video store clerk.

Then I stumbled across it on one of the TV movie channels and sat down and watched it. Perhaps it was the lack of any expectations on my part, but I found this movie fascinating. Bill Murray has cornered the market on middle aged male guilt and regret. Between this film, Lost in Translation and the Life Aquatic he presents us with a very real sense of what it means to be in your mid fifties and contemplating all that has been missed while pursuing something else.

The movie moves slowly, at a measured pace, but it has to, because that is how the story unfolds, with the protagonist moving down the road of his past reluctantly, and with trepidation and rightly so, because he has left skeletons behind. Many of them, it would appear.

Bill Murray was always my favorite SNL guy and he never disappoints, always taking whatever role he is given and doing it well, and doing it as only Bill Murray can. David Spade and Chevy Chase, eat your hearts out. Actually, just retire. But I digress.

The supporting cast deserves kudos as well. For once, I liked Sharon Stone in a movie. Francis Conroy does her Six Feet Under persona but manages to spin it a little differently, and Jessice Lange is mesmerizing as always. And Jeffrey Wright, as Winston is a perfect foil for the perpetually deadpan Murray.

But in fairness, I suspect that you have to be middle aged and male to really love this movie and all of its wisdom.