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Movies / On DVD / Broken Flowers
Broken Flowers

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Broken Flowers (2005)

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Reviews Counted:181

Fresh:157

Rotten:24

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: Bill Murray's subtle and understated style complements director Jim Jarmusch's minimalist storytelling in this quirky, but deadpan comedy.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:21-10-2005

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... 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 neighbor, 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. [More]

Starring: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton

Starring: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton, Julie Delpy, Jessica Lange

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Director: Jim Jarmusch
Screenwriter: Jim Jarmusch
Producer: Jon Kilik, Stacey E. Smith, Jim Jarmusch
Studio: Focus Features

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Reviews for Broken Flowers

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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Moving, mirthful and minimalist, Broken Flowers is a bittersweet treat from indie great Jim Jarmusch.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/15/05
Matthew Leyland
Matthew Leyland
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Funny, disciplined, and acted with great skill and warmth.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/05/08
Matthew De Abaitua
Matthew De Abaitua
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Subtle, warm direction from Jim Jarmusch and another Oscar-worthy performance from Bill Murray -- will the Academy just give him a statue, already?

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Jo Berry
Jo Berry
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Jarmusch catches life with nuance and charm ... it's like a delicate variation on About Schmidt.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/07/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

After a career of deadpanning, Murray's impassive performance is still fresh, funny, sympathetic and restrained.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
09/28/06
Liese Spencer
Liese Spencer
Sight and Sound

Murray is terrific as Don %u2013 there's a genuine sadness to his character and he makes you feel the pain of the emptiness he doesn't know how to express.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/29/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The pace of "Broken Flowers" is slow, but Jarmusch treats us to an almost dizzying array of vivid, unexpected details.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
08/05/05
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

... the best film Jarmusch has made since DEAD MAN... a natural extension of what Jarmusch has always done rather than just an excuse to work with a movie star.

Full Review Source: Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/22/05
Moriarty
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews

When the end credits started to roll, an awed numbness came over me; I was more moved by the film than I had expected, and I knew I had seen something great.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
08/31/05
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

All he's left with is a look of blank existential exhaustion. From this stoic clay, Murray's every twitch and flicker sculpts complex inner wounds.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
08/17/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

An elegant, evocative film.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
08/04/05
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

Broken Flowers won't win any fans for Jarmusch or late-model Murray, but as an eloquent and compassionate study of regret and self-mourning, it's a wonder.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
09/15/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Ultimately, the Jarmusch-Murray matchup, for all its flaws, offers a uniquely bittersweet experience, a movie with some broken funny bones and a questioning heart.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
08/04/05
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Movies like this classically low-key, slightly off-kilter effort by Jim Jarmusch are the reason the term “art house film” was coined in the first place.

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
09/29/05
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

Broken Flowers manages to charm us with its encompassing fragrance, the pungency of life forces emerging from the muck.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
08/14/05
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

There's a real poignancy in watching Murray's emotional chill thaw from the heat generated by even the idea of romance, or at least its more libidinous evil twin, lust.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

How absolutely fascinating and depressing it must be to have a past.

Full Review Source: Bangitout.com | comment Comment
01/04/06
Jordan Hiller
Jordan Hiller
Bangitout.com

A marvelous movie, with Bill Murray scoring again in the realm of drama.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment 2 Comments
02/03/06
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

For those who appreciate [Jarmusch's] style of film manipulation, and slow and steady storytelling, run to the theater this weekend. Enjoy.

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
08/05/05
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

A minimalist miracle that transcends comedy and drama to wind up in a bigger and wiser place.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
08/05/05
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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