What The Critics Say

"Although Jarmusch never makes his intentions explicit, this is also a film about the state of America. It's not a lecture, more a set of observations, assembled with wry humour by a director who has always loved to keep things open-ended and a little mysterious." Paul Byrnes THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "Each encounter provides a master class in close observation and character work, Murray's minimalist expressions careening against the many and varied responses of Jessica Lange, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy and Tilda Swinton." Glenn Whipp, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS "You want to go to Broken Flowers to see Bill Murray put in yet another Oscar-worthy performance." Willie Waffle WAFFLEMOVIES.COM "The mix of humor and heartbreak brings out the best in Murray." Peter Travers ROLLING STONE "... Murray’s movie from start to finish." Greg Maki STAR-DEMOCRAT "It's chock full of really winning performances..." Eric Lurio GREENWICH VILLAGE GAZETTE "Deadpan funny drama, played against a minimalist backdrop, brings home some simple truths about the desperate lives most people lead." Dennis Schwartz OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS "Jarmusch has assembled an impressive array of actresses playing the protagonist's ex-lovers (Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy and an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton plus little more than cameos from Julie Delpy and Chloe Sevigny) who all are radiant in their brief, eclectic, believable and crucial roles." Gavin Bond INFILM AUST "Bill Murray proves once again he's a past-master at the art of minimalist acting in the wholly delightful "Broken Flowers". In fact, Murray's Don Johnston is a blank page on which we can read volumes. The four actresses are all fantastic, in their very different ways, and they seem to be having fun with their roles, Tilda Swinton as the biker's wife is almost unrecognisable." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES

The Inside Story Although in many ways, what we saw from actor Bill Murray in last years "Lost In Translation" was hailed as 'new', those who have been fans of the man and who have followed his career closely, will quickly tell you that while we haven't seen so much of this 'detatched' style of character, we have seen it before. What is new for Murray is that, like taking huge doses of vitamins, it seems more is better. It worked well in "Lost In Translation" and I'm happy to report that it works extremely well, if not better, in his latest film, "Broken Flowers". But there is one glaring fact [which audiences will soon discover] that stands out in his latest film and that is his character is balanced by first his neighbour Winston and the five women who have shared his life and whom he rediscovers after he receives an anonymous letter from one of them revealing she has had a son by him. Murray's character is Don Johnston [no, as he is quick to point out, not 'the' Don Johnson] takes us on a glorious road trip through which we meet these wonderful women played by some of Hollywoods finest actresses. The road trip cast includes [in order of appearance]; Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy and an almost unrecognizable Tilda Swinton. Meeting them, discovering the connection between Johnston and them, is, at least in three cases a joy to watch. But be warned [just in case you find it offensive], there is full frontal nudity when Johnston meets Lolita, the daughter of Laura Daniels Miller [played by Stone]. "Broken Flowers" is the second occassion Billy Murray and acclaimed 'indie' film director, writer, producer, editor and actor Jim Jarmusch have worked together. The first occassion was during production of the film "Coffee and Cigarettes". Jarmusch wrote "Broken Flowers" with Murray in mind for the lead role. "In writing the script, I wasn’t consciously trying to write it imagining him saying the lines, exactly; I was using a certain side of Bill, and I wanted to create a character where he wasn’t reliant on things we expect or know or appreciate from Bill Murray," he recalls adding, " his ability to make things hilarious. I wanted that other side; he’s always had that balance of mischief and melancholy. That’s Bill Murray. It’s that very rare thing he has. So I kind of wanted to create something that could give a little more weight to that other side of his abilities as an actor. He liked the script, so I went forward from there based on his availability as to when to shoot it." Those who had the opportunity of taking in "Coffee and Cigarettes" will agree that this is a much more complicated character we are seeing on the screen though. "Yes, and it’s a complicated character for an actor. Because Don isn’t a character that you’re intended to connect with immediately. He’s disconnected himself, but the empathy accumulates. It was a tricky thing for Bill," he says. "He did such a beautiful job, and brought so much to it." But what about those tricky scenes with Bill, Sharon and Alexis Dziena who plays Laura Daniels Miller daughter Lolita? "We didn’t rehearse, but we all carefully went over the scenes together – hung out in Sharon’s trailer for a few hours – and talked through them. I did try to get a playfulness going, because it’s the first stop on Don’s journey – and the least abrasive for him, emotionally. Laura is not a victim, yet there’s a lot of tiny sad things about her that Sharon was aware of and helped to bring out. We tried to get that tone of what we wanted the scenes to feel like, what the mood would be. I never wanted to talk about the meaning of the scenes, because it means different things to each character." And Alexis? "Alexis was great. She was quite literal; she wanted to talk with me about each line and what they meant," he says. "She was concerned about showing that while Lolita is, on one level, teasing Don in a sexual way, she’s really trying to show a stranger who had a connection to her mother that there’s something missing for her in terms of a father figure." Like Laura, when Don re-aquaints himself with them it does have an effect on him, doesn't it? "Each of the women in the film represents a different part of Don’s past. Each one reminds him of some part of his personality and what he’s been through. In each of them," producerJon Kilik says, Don rediscovers what his life might have been like, the choices that he might have made, and a person he might have become because of the woman he’d stayed with." And like Jim Jarmusch, both Kililk and co-producer Stacey E Smith are full of praise for Bill Murrays performance as Don. "It was amazing to watch just how completely Bill Murray inhabited his character, Don, on this strange journey through suburban America, and his own past," Stacey E Smith said. "Bill Murray is a treasure, and a pleasure to work with," says Kilik. "He brings a complexity and humanity to Don; both humor and tragedy, hope and despair, vulnerabilities and flaws. He shows it all." One thing Murray portrays well is Don's sense that somewhere along the line he has lost something in his life. There's a yearning here when he sees where these women are now. Is that how Jarmusch sees it and if so where will that sit with audiences. "I think the film is somehow about yearning," he says, "and I don’t know where that came from. Yearning for something that you’re missing, and not necessarily being able to define what it is you’re missing. I don’t want people to feel despair or tragic at the end; I also don’t want them to feel like it’s a light romantic thing and, 'let’s go get a pizza'. I’d like the audience to carry that moment around somewhere in them for a little while." I'm sure that there are many who will for this is a very impressionable film. One that definately will leave a mark on its audiences. Cast & Crew Bytes "BROKEN FLOWERS" stars .......
Bill Murray ["Ed Wood", "Charlie's Angels", "The Royal Tenenbaums", "Coffee and Cigarettes" and "Lost In Translation"]; Julie Delpy ["Blah Blah Blah", "Before Sunrise", "An American Werewolf in Paris", "But I'm A Cheerleader", "Investigating Sex" and "Before Sunset"]; Sharon Stone ["Silver", "Last Action Hero", "Basic Instinct", "Casino" and "Catwoman"]; Jessica Lange ["King Kong", "Francis", "Cape Fear", "Masked and Anonymous" and "Big Fish"]; Chloë Sevigny ["American Psycho", "Dogville", "Shattered Glass" and "Melinda and Melinda"]; Frances Conroy ["Sleepless in Seattle", "Maid In Manhattan", "The Aviator" and "Shopgirl"]; Tilda Swinton ["The Beach", "The Deep End", "Vanilla Sky", "Constantine" and "The Chronicles of Narnia"]; Jeffrey Wright ["Ride With The Devil", "Shaft", "Ali" and "The Manchurian Candidate"]; Heather Alicia Simms ["Stop the World: I Want to Get Off", "Head of State", "" and "Flutter Kick"] and Alexis Dziena ["Wonderland", "Strangers with Candy", "The Great New Wonderful" and "Pizza"] as Lolita.
"BROKEN FLOWERS" was .......
directed by Jim Jarmusch ["Permanent Vacation", "Coffee and Cigarettes 1986", "Coffee and Cigarettes II","Coffee and Cigarettes 2003", "Mystery Train" and "Dead Man"]; screenplay by Jim Jarmusch ["Permanent Vacation", "Night On Earth", "Dead Man" and "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai"]; costume design by John A Dunn ["Leader of the Band", "Casino", "The Object Of My Affection" and "Birth"]; production design by Mark Friedberg ["Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen", "Runaway Bride", "Ride With The Devil", "Far from Heaven" and "The Producers"]; edited by Jay Rabinowitz ["When Pigs Fly", "Dead Man", "Requiem for a Dream", "8 Mile" and "The Stepford Wives"]; cinematography by Frederick Elmes ["Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love", "The Ice Storm", "Trapped" and "Hulk"]; Key Hair Styling by Mandy Lyons ["Postcards from America", "Search and Destroy", "The Warrior Class", "Strangers With Candy" and "The Family Stone"] produced by Jon Kilik ["Malcolm X", "Dead Man Walking", "Before Night Falls", "Pollock" and "25th Hour"], Stacey E Smith ["Coffee and Cigarettes"] and Jim Jarmusch ["You Are Not I", "Night On Earth", "When Pigs Fly" and "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai"]. What It's All About Sherry, the latest lady in Don Johnston's is about to fly the coop. She's not the first and she probably won't be the last. Deep down inside he'd like to stop her, but he won't. On his own Don wonders what he will do with himself. The postman provides an answer in the shape of a bright pink envelope amongst his regular mail. It is unsigned and appears to be from one of his former girlfriends. It tells him he has a nineteen year old son and that the teenager has gone in search if his father. Amatuer sleuth and next door neighbour Winston sees this as the ideal time for Don to find out if it is true or not. All Winston needs is for Don to provide him with the details of his former girlfriends and with the aid of the internet and a little ingenuity he will set everything up. Winston plans everything down to a 't' and a reluctant Don soon finds himself on the road in search of four surviving ex-girlfriends. To give the sender of the mysterious pink letter a clue as to why he is visiting he carries a bunch of pink flowers. Will it give the sender reason to reveal themself? First stop on his itinery is the home of Laura Daniels Miller. She's not home when he calls, but her beautiful young daughter Lolita is. The Verdict "If you love Bill Murray in "Lost In Translation" you'll probably be over the moon with "Broken Flowers". It's wry, cute, eyecatching and a joy to watch. But while Bill Murray and Jeffrey Wright do a sterling job of their roles, in the end, what really cements this film is the women we are introduced to. Those still living who once filled Murray's character Don Johnston's life. They are all superb. It's a long road trip that moves is genteel and meanders along at a gentle pace. Certainly not for everyone, but for those it is, "Broken Flowers", winner of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prix will prove to be an excellent watch and a joyous experience. Highly recommended." Who's Who?

Bill Murray Julie Delpy Sharon Stone Alexis Dziena Jessica Lange Chloë Sevigny Frances Conroy Tilda Swinton Jeffrey Wright Heather Alicia Simms Zakira Holland Niles Lee Wilson Jarry Fall Korka Fall Saul Holland Mark Webber Brea Frazier Meredith Patterson Christopher McDonald Suzanne Hevner Chris Bauer Larry Fessenden Pell James Homer Murray

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Don Johnston Sherry Laura Daniels Miller Lolita Dr Carmen Markowski Carmen's Assistant Dora Anderson Penny Winston Mona Winston & Mona's Kid Winston & Mona's Kid Winston & Mona's Kid Winston & Mona's Kid Winston & Mona's Kid The Kid Rita Flight Attendant Ron Mrs Dorston Dan Will Sun Green Kid in Car

Directed by Jim Jarmusch Written by by Jim Jarmusch Produced by Jim Jarmusch/Jon Kilik/Stacey E Smith Cinematography by Frederick Elmes Film Editing by Jay Rabinowitz Production Design by Mark Friedberg Set Decoration by Lydia Marks Costume Design by John A Dunn Makeup Department Key Hair Stylist Mandy Lyons Run Time 105 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Focus Features - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved