Movie Review

Broken Flowers

Here is the latest entry from indie/auteur "maverick" filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. The only other work I've seen from him is Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (B). That movie pulled a surprising turn: I thought it was dull and pointless when I first caught it in theaters, but after seeing it again I realized that it's a unique and interesting flick. When a film switches positions in one's personal taste spectrum, it's a sure sign that there really is "something" to the production, and it definitely says a lot about the filmmakers' talents. The last movie that pulled this maneuver was Spartan (B+), which I found incomprehensible at first; but after a quick second viewing, I realized that it's quite brilliant. While Broken Flowers doesn't have the flashy and dense hand of David Mamet behind it, the overall vibe that it's going for is pulled off with aplomb. It definitely has a large re-watch quality, and I am curious to see how it plays on a second viewing. For a movie simply evoking that curiosity, it has to be commended.

The premise of the movie is somewhat gimmicky, but it does work on its own terms. Don Johnston (Bill Murray) is a sad-sack-face-lookin' guy who sits on his couch in the dark and watches old movies. Did I mention that he looks very sad and sack-ish? And old too - he's almost grizzled, but in a non-grizzly sorta way. His half-his-age girlfriend (Julie Delpy of Before Sunset [B-]) walks out on him, luggage in hand, right at the beginning. As they argue at the front door, Don discovers a strange letter in a pink envelope that's just been dropped through his mail-slot (after a nice opening sequence showing a postal worker making the delivery that sets the low-key/mysterioso feel for the rest of the flick, and is one of the best images overall). The now-ex leaves, and Don reads the letter. It says he has a son he never knew about, but it doesn't say who the letter is from (a.k.a. the mother). So Don takes the letter to his neighbor Winston (the excellent actor Jeffrey Wright), who has an obsession with detective work. The rest involves Don visiting four of his 20-years-ago ex-hoochies and trying to determine whom is the mother of his (possibly fake?) offspring. They are all in different states (I think), so he has to fly and drive a lot.

The main problem with this movie is that there are too many passages and static camera shots in which absolutely nothing happens; Murray just looks ahead and has a blank expression whether he's driving a car, watching TV, or eating a gourmet dinner. This flick definitely eases up the pacing to an art-house level of slow-burnery. One might be slightly reminded of such epics as Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny (B), although Flowers isn't nearly as baffling or hyper-pretentious. But the same general tone of the story and camerawork that produces these moments also adds to the mystery element of the film. And this mystery factor is one of the best things about the movie; it also gives it the aforementioned re-watch value. The whole movie is supposed to be a journey in which Murray is looking for "clues," which will lead him to the mother and their son. By the end, it seems as if there's a few clues too many and a little more confusion than we really needed. And the last shot is a little cliche; if you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

The interactions with Don's former lady friends are mostly well done. There's not much to them as far as crunchy dialogue goes, but the scenes are ultimately pleasure-able because of their breeziness and the knowledge of sleuth-dom on the part of Don. All of the actresses (Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, and Tilda Swinton) play their roles superbly and never at all feel like pieces that were just fitted in to the movie; they bring a real sense of life and humanity to an atmosphere where Don most certainly does not. The sequence of visits to these women is quite linear, but it hides a story that twists back in on itself more than we anticipate. These actresses provide just the right footing for the movie to step with; one could say that they - collectively - are the real draw, rather than Murray.

This is a really easy movie to watch and is something that might lull you into a peaceful sleep as you watch late-night TV. It's also the kind of movie that will have the message-board-explanation types in a frenzy of analysis. That's mostly a positive but that aspect works a little negatively here due to the sure-fire lack of anyone's ability to completely figure the movie out after one regular viewing. But the intelligence is there, and movies today are anything other than intelligent. I enjoyed this movie and think it deserves to be seen by a broad audience; if it's playing near you, go check it out as an alternative to a faceless multiplex fiasco.

Scott's Grade: B-

A	15.1%
B	59.2%
C	24.5%
D	1.2%
F	0.0%