Broken Flowers
Originally Written: August 2005
In “Broken Flowers,” Bill Murray plays Don Johnston, a man with not much going on in his life except that he made some money back in the day in computers (one isn’t sure what he does now). Don has been a bona fide Don Juan with the ladies in his adult life, and when we first meet him, his latest conquest, Sherry (“Before Sunset’s” Julie Delpy), is leaving him. For what? She wants to find that out, and Don doesn’t seem to want to. That same day, Don receives a letter in the mail supposedly from an old flame claiming they had a son together that she chose to raise herself, and he is now searching for his father, though she has told him next to nothing about Don. The letter is typed on pink paper, sealed in a pink envelope with the address written in red ink, and there’s no return address or signature at the end. Don- who seems too bored by life to care- just wants to take it for granted. His next door neighbor, friend, and family man Winston (“Angels in America’s” Jeffrey Wright in a perceptive and perfectly realized performance worthy of Oscar’s attention) loves the challenge it presents (he loves mysteries). He has Don compile a list of the women he was with around that time, and using his computer tracks them down, and sets up a trip for Don to see each woman and gather clues as to who may have written the letter. Don’s not interested, but Winston’s constant badgering overwhelms him to go.
This is the third film I’ve seen of indie writer-director Jim Jarmusch (the first two were 1996’s “Dead Man” with Johnny Depp and last year’s uneven but interesting “Coffee and Cigarettes”). I’ve admired all three without being quite enamored by them. It’s been years since I’ve seen “Dead Man,” but I remember it being an original and interesting work, and last year’s “Coffee” had as many episodes in it that didn’t work as ones that did, but the ones that did, left an impression. For Murray, “Broken Flowers” is the continuation of this rich period of his career- begun in 1998 with “Rushmore”- where he has played characters that go through sort of a “mid-life” crisis when an unexpected event happens to them (from “Rushmore” came “Lost in Translation” and “The Life Acquatic”). He’s given terrific performances in all (best of all in “Translation”), and in “Broken Flowers,” he follows suit with a muted performance that projects both unspoken desparation- to have something more in his life- and acceptance- as if he doesn’t want anything else in his life. This contradiction is throughout the film as he goes through the motions of the trip Winston has planned for him while seeming- in sometimes more so than others- genuinely interested at what he might find out from his exes with a curiosity that is low-key and unquestionably human. Jarmusch (who put Murray in “Coffee” in one of that film’s best segments) wrote the part specifically for Murray, and Murray shows his gratitude with his incisive, quietly perceptive performance.
Murray’s the star, but Jarmusch has surrounded him with a fine supporting cast of big names and character actors. Besides Wright, there’s Christopher McDonald as the husband of one of his former girlfriends he goes to visit; Delpy, who makes an impression at the start that resonates with the audience and Murray’s character throughout the movie; Sharon Stone, who makes her widower (raising her nympho daughter aptly named Lolita) vulnerable and affectionate towards Don; Frances Conroy, who’s married to McDonald but still seems to have a soft spot for Don; Jessica Lange, who now communicates with animals and gives Don the distinct impression she’s not interested in him anymore (as her secretary, the sexy Chloe Sevigny delivers a more ambiguous possibility in the way she looks at Don); and finally, Tilda Swinton (“The Deep End,” “Constantine”) registers strongly in the briefest visit, which leaves open the possibility of discovering the mother’s identity while also seeming to close the door on it. None of these great actors and actresses are onscreen very long, but all are really there just to set context and perspective to Don’s life, which is the main focus of the film. Still, the most memorable encounters are also the least expected, and both come after all of the ones described above. One is with a fifth ex, whom Don visits at the cemetary where she’s buried and says one line of simple poignancy and gravity. The second is an encounter with a boy that’s about the age his son would be where he buys the boy a sandwich and has a thoughtful and touching discussion with him where he gives him the type of advice we all long to hear from our fathers.
“Broken Flowers” sounds too good to be true in this review, but the fact of the matter is it’s a difficult sit for viewers not accustomed to Jarmusch’s films or slow movies (I’m the former). Even at roughly 100 minutes, the film carries with it a difficult pace that is relentless in its’ stillness, with long passages of little or no dialogue or action. Usually, it’s not an issue with me (one of my favorite filmmakers- Russia’s Andrei Tarkovsky- turned stillness and glacial pacing into an artform), and possibly a second viewing would be a benefit (I would watch it again), but as a first-time watcher, I sat through much of “Flowers” hoping something more might happen. And while I don’t disagree with the film’s ending (it hits just the right note of suddenness one hopes for in a “surprise ending”), the abruptness of the ending rubbed me the right way. Just one more scene after the last shot (either of Don walking away or into his house) and the film’s pacing would be the only issue keeping it from greatness. As it stands, “Broken Flowers” is just a pleasant gift for moviegoers, one we didn’t see coming but somehow realized we wanted.
