ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

AMERICAN DIRECTOR Jim Jarmusch made his reputation in the 1980s as the creator of quirky, deadpan delights like ‘Down By Law’ and ‘Mystery Train’. His career has taken some strange turns of late, but now he’s right back on form with ‘Broken Flowers’, a wonderfully lugubrious, sharply observed comedy with a performance to cherish from Bill Murray.

Murray plays Don Johnston, not the ‘Miami Vice’ actor but a laidback, latterday Don Juan who shows no inclination to grow up or learn from his mistakes. When girlfriend Sherry (Julie Delpy) walks out the door, he merely assumes that someone will come along to take her place.

Then he receives a mysterious pink letter from an old flame claiming that he has a teenage son who is seeking to meet his father. Aided by neighbour Winston (Jeffrey Wright), he tracks down his lady friends from twenty years ago and sets off on a road trip to confront his past.

Once you swallow the premise of ‘Broken Flowers’, the film really gets into top gear. and allows Murray to bounce off the energy and charisma of his leading ladies as Don is given a glimpse of the different lives he might have lead if he had ever shown some commitment to a woman.

Stumbling through the wreckage of his past, Bill Murray is simply priceless, conveying more with a sigh or a frozen look than many actors manage with pages of dialogue. He has some very sharp scenes with Jessica Lange and Sharon Stone, whose teenage daughter does her utmost to live up to her name of Lolita.

‘Broken Flowers’ may seem a little conventional in comparison to earlier Jarmusch efforts, but it is very funny, and if you loved Bill Murray in ‘Lost In Translation’ then you will not want to miss him here.

General release, selected cinemas
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Bill Murray, Jessica Lange, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Tilda Swinton, Julie Delpy
Screenwriter: Jim Jarmusch
Certificate: 15
Running time: 106 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2005

© Allan Hunter, 2005