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Broken Flowers [DVD] [2005]
 
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Broken Flowers [DVD] [2005]

DVD ~ Bill Murray
3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.99
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Product details

  • Actors: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton, Julie Delpy
  • Directors: Jim Jarmusch
  • Format: PAL, Widescreen
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Momentum Pictures
  • DVD Release Date: 20 Mar 2006
  • Run Time: 101 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000CR6X52
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,686 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

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.

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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews
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 (8)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.1 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Painful Watching, 23 Jun 2008
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.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Prepare to learn nothing, 14 Aug 2006
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!
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Murray at his very best yet again, 4 Jan 2007
By R. Hastings (Loughborough, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
It's very easy to pooh-pooh the vacant stare that Bill Murray seems to have slapped a Hollywood patent on in the last couple of years - you know the one I mean: that look of utterly emotionless disregard for whatever happens to be within his line of vision at any given time. People joke about the Roger Moore school of acting, whereby Moore seemingly made an entire career in the movies simply by raising or lowering a single eyebrow; but give him credit, at least that involved the man using a couple of facial muscles.

The staggering part of this belief that all Murray ever does onscreen nowadays is look uninterested in life, is that it has developed from of the success of just one film - something that surely proves once and for all the brilliance of that one film - `Lost In Translation.' If enjoyed that, you'll probably love `Broken Flowers' too. If not, bad luck, but you're missing out!

Ricky Gervais has made us Brits think we're pretty used to handling uncomfortable anxiety, and you'll probably need that training to enjoy the paucity of dialogue in the script. Like Murray himself, the screenplay will have a polarising effect on the audience - it is one of the very best things about this brilliant film, and yet it's also what will make many people dislike it. However, even if you can deal with the script, Murray's ex-girlfriends will make you squirm. As if Sharon Stone's outrageous daughter isn't enough (let's just say that her name is Lolita and she lives up to it in suitable fashion), each reunion makes you think surely the next can't be worse - and then, in hilariously uncomfortable fashion, it is.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Will you end up alone and unloved?
A simple movie with a simple message, yeah, its slow moving but got for g'sakes you cant watch Transformers (fast but rubbish) all your life. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Hud

5.0 out of 5 stars Slow magic
Broken Flowers has a similar pace to Lost In Translation (so not one for action fans) and Bill Murry's character is similar in both movies. Read more
Published 12 months ago by David Powell

5.0 out of 5 stars a gentle stroll with a melancholy man
This is not a fast paced wham-bam-thank-you-mam popcorn movie, it is a leisurely journey with a man trying to come to terms with his past. Read more
Published 18 months ago by mr flaps

3.0 out of 5 stars Dead-pan drollery on a road-trip with an all-star cast
The thing that raises this film above the average is its supporting cast - all the old flames Don (Murray) visits have brilliant cameos; Jeffrey Wright as his best pal Winston... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Annabel Gaskell

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent slow moving drama
Bill Murray (Groundhog day) stars in Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers, a story about a lonely closed off man who receives a letter from one of his former girlfriends telling him that... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Stampy

3.0 out of 5 stars Yes it's slow, but who said there was anything wrong with slow?
In this movie

The camerawork is mundane
The characterisation is patchy
The dialogue is simple
The jokes don't come thick and fast
There are no... Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2007 by Adam D. Bisset

1.0 out of 5 stars Tedious
The most tedious film I've ever sat through.
Bill Murray looking miserable on a couch, in a plane, in a car - looking miserable and uncomfortable meeting an awkward ex... Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2007 by MJ

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth
This is a good movie.

Reviews which state otherwise are wrong, please delete them.
Published on 22 Oct 2007 by A. Dirkse

1.0 out of 5 stars Pretentious wilted rose
An absolute dud. One of so called 'art' films which tries to hide the fact that the writer does not have the skill to end the story by them just cutting it with no ending, and... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2007 by Patrick.S

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
If you're into Steve Martin films, then you won't like this one. Hence the 5 stars.
Published on 9 Aug 2007 by A. Rautenberg

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