| My daughter calls a boring movie a movie full of middles. She would definitely say Broken Flowers is full of middles. The problem, in my opinion, is not that it was so boring as it was Bill Murray's role. Bill Murray plays Don Johnston, a very understated, almost emotionless, wealthy businessman-his lack of emotion may have to do with the fact,that, at the very beginning of the film he loses his girlfriend and is very distraught. Bill Murray's role is much more understated than the role he played in "Lost in Translation". I didn't particularly like Lost in Translation either. Amazing that a guy like Murray who is no Don Juan, could, in Lost In Translation, almost "hook" up with a beautiful, even if, ignored younger woman.
Well, somehow, there is also some sex appeal to Bill Murray's character(or, at least was) in Broken Flowers because he was involved with multiple women. Most men would be shaking their heads with the question"how?" No way would Bill Murray get these women in real life. But, it happens because it's the movies.
The basic premise to Broken Flowers is that Don Johnston(Bill Murray) receives a letter that he has a 19 year old son. His neighbor, Winston, who must have spent lots of time in the sack as he has four or five little ones, plans Don's trip mapping his routes through mapquest and making the flight and rental car reservations. Through Winston's encouragement, Johnston sets out on the trip to visit the women in his life who possibly could be the mother of his child.
Bill Murray is so unbelievably deadpan as Don. What is going on here? You constantly, in every situation, want him to dip into some drugstore and pick up some prozac. Nothing changes Murray and his persona; The very idea that a "dead on his feet" guy would find four former lovers is beyond the pale. But, I say again, it is the movies!
He tracks down all the woman. Murray brings each of the women pink flowers. (Pink is a predominant color throughout the movie.)None of the characters, who include Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, and Tilda Swinton, were really all that likable. Sharon Stone plays the somewhat ditzy blond once involved with a former race car type who killed himself on the track. She has a younger daughter who sheds her clothes for Don (Bill Murray) totally out of left field. What is this!
The most interesting character he meets was Frances Conroy of Six Feet Under fame. It really was her facial expressions. Jessica Lange who was an attorney when he first met her, is involved in veterinary medicine and talks to animals when he meets up with her again. Tilda Swinton is angry with Murray and he has to remind her that she dumped him. But, by in large, all the women sit around and mainly stare at Don( Bill Murray) and he simply stares back. Nothing to me is worse than sitting in a theater and actually feeling embarrassment for the actors on screen.
There is no resolution to the movie and the plot is pretty implausible other than Murray success in founding the women who may have clues to the whereabouts of his son.
Bill Murray, in this movie, is a walking advertisement for anti-depressant drugs. What fascinates me is that so many critics liked it. What did they like about it? I usually don't pay much attention to critics as I know what I like regardless, but there's some hint that I pay attention to their reviews because I went to this movie on their recommendation-bad choice. I've seen worse, but I hate movies with no resolution in any direction. Parts of the film were good, i.e., looking up people who have had meaning to you; and, once finding them, figuring out the connection. But Murray made really no connection with any of the women he found. You get the impression, that while the movie was going on, the Director went out for coffee.
reviewed by Dan Foster
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