Broken Flowers (2005)

As the extremely withdrawn Don Johnston is dumped by his latest woman, he receives an anonymous letter from a former lover informing him that he has a son who may be looking for him. A freelance sleuth neighbor moves Don to embark on a cross-country search for his old flames in search of answers.

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writers:

Jim Jarmusch, Bill Raden (inspired by an idea from)

Stars:

Bill Murray, Jessica Lange, Sharon Stone

5 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The resolutely single Don Johnston has just been dumped by his latest lover, Sherry. Don resigns himself to being alone yet again and left to his own devices. Instead, he is compelled to reflect on his past when he receives by mail a mysterious pink letter. It is from an anonymous former lover and informs him that he has a 19-year-old son who may now be looking for his father. Don is urged to investigate this "mystery" by his closest friend and neighbor, Winston, an amateur sleuth and family man. Hesitant to travel at all, Don nonetheless embarks on a cross-country trek in search of clues from four former flames. Unannounced visits to each of these unique women hold new surprises for Don as he haphazardly confronts both his past and, consequently, his present.

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Plot Keywords:

illegitimate son | casual sex | single parent | mistress | hippie chick | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes life brings some strange surprises.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Focus Features [United States]

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Flowers

Filming Locations:

Riverdale, Morris County, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$780,408, 7 August 2005

Gross USA:

$13,744,960

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$46,720,491

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Five Roses, Bac Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bill Murray agreed to do the film on the condition that he would not have to travel more than an hour from his home in Hudson Valley, New York. Jim Jarmusch agreed and all scenes were filmed in either New York or northern New Jersey.

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Goofs

The blue rental car that Murray drives to the farmhouse has different style wheels than the car that Murray wakes up in after being beat up.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Unusually, bit part players with no spoken lines in this movie are listed in the credits. Normally only speaking parts are listed.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Watchmen/Shuttle/12 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Dreams I'll Never See
by Gregg Allman
Performed by The Allman Brothers Band
Used by permission of EMI Unart Catalog Inc.
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

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.