Broken Flowers (2005)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

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 | Florist | Lolita

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)
Flores rotas (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Сломанные цветы (Russia) [ru]
Broken Flowers (Germany) [de]
Broken Flowers - Blumen für die Ex (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Broken flowers - särkyneet kukat (Finland) [fi]
Flores Partidas (Brazil) [pt]
Hervadó virágok (Hungary) [hu]
Slomljeno cvece (Serbia) [sr]
Tsakismena louloudia (Greece) [el]
Zlomené kvetiny (Czech Republic) [cs]
Zlomené kvety (Slovakia) [sk]

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:

Jim Jarmusch finished the script in two and a half weeks.

Goofs:

Continuity: (At 17:00) During the scene where Winston goes back with the pink letter to Don's home, after he turns down the volume he sits down we can see the lampshade on the side table changing position to the next scene when the pink letter is on the table in front of Don's couch. This can be seen on the profile shots of Don and the lampshade on the background relative to unchanged camera angles.

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:

References Lolita (1962)

Soundtrack:

There is an End

Wonderfully unique and charming (but perhaps too spare)

I just saw this at a press screening. It's very smart, well-made and entertaining, directed with sure-handed control, full of quirky, funny moments and superb acting. The film pretty much avoids clichés, although it does rely a bit on the familiar "Aren't Middle-Americans quirky?" idea for its humor. But Jarmusch never goes too far with this, his restraint keeping the film propelled from beginning to end.

The only weakness for me is rooted in the film's strength: I feel like there's not quite enough here.

Murray's character is beleaguered and despondent, Murray plays him with perfect subtlety. This is fun and fascinating to watch; I found myself hanging onto every little expression on Murray's face. But, the combination of his passive, muted performance and the spare storytelling left me wanting more. It just doesn't have as much impact as I feel it could have. So, yes, it's wonderful minimalism, but perhaps a bit too slight of a movie to have any lasting resonance.

Bill Murray has added another very good performance to his career, and Jim Jarmusch has made another compact little gem (unlike some of his more recent films). Unique and entertaining. Definitely worth seeing.