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[Prospero]

Search didn't turn up a thread for this movie yet--I saw it this afternoon.

I would be happy to see this get a Best Picture nomination. Even given that I expected Bill Murray to be excellent, I was knocked out by his performance and the way he conveyed Don's complex emotional state almost entirely through subtle facial expressions and body movements. He's an incredible actor.

Tilda Swinton was great in an almost unrecognizable role; Sharon Stone was great as well (yes, that's what I said).

Some people in the theater seemed to be confused by the ending, but I didn't mind it--

Spoiler

it doesn't supply a conventionally neat resolution to things because it's never confirmed on screen that Sherry sent the initial letter, and if Don believes that the thing is a farce, then he logically shouldn't believe that that guy he buys the sandwich for is his son. But the ending works--it's as if Don wanted the whole story to be true in the end whether it was or not, so he accepted the signs around him that seemed to confirm the story and ignored the ones that didn't.

Has anyone else seen this yet?

 

[mattx5]

I'm going to see it tomorrow, can't wait

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Yes. I loved it. I wasn't sold on any of Murray's previous serious roles, but I really think he did a great job.

And I agree with your assessment of the ending. I really enjoyed, and even sort of anticipated, it.

 

[distantmantra]

I saw it a few weeks back, I thought it was really done with fantastic performances by everyone involved, especially how Murray's characters just quietly floated along through his environment.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

I'd love to watch that ending again right now.

 

[keeblerdrow]

I can't find a theater in my area that's showing it.

 

[Macam]

Great soundtrack, good performances, tragically bland movie. See also Jarmusch's Coffee & Cigarettes.

 

[sefskillz]

Great soundtrack, good performances, tragically bland movie. See also Jarmusch's Coffee & Cigarettes.

Is there any Jarmusch stuff you like, out of curiosity?

 

[fart]

the movie is absolutely terrible. "let's stare at bill murray's noh face for an hour and a half." i have no idea why anyone would want to or enjoy doing this.

Is there any Jarmusch stuff you like, out of curiosity?

ghost dog

 

[Lambtron]

Going to see this & The Aristocrats next weekend. Can't wait.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Fantastically awesome movie, par for Jim Jarmusch. See also: Dead Man, Ghost Dog.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

dead man sucked.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

You suck! Oh, I went there.

 

[Macam]

Is there any Jarmusch stuff you like, out of curiosity?

I've only seen those two so far. I wanted to like them both a lot more, especially considering the cast and subject matter, but they're both just really lacking. Broken Flowers is certainly the better of two though.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

See Dead Man, Macam. You'll enjoy it.

 

[Jason]

Just saw it this afternoon. I enjoyed it even though it was quite slow.

A warning though...don't see it when you're hungry or else you'll disturb everyone with your growling stomach. :lol

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Just saw it this afternoon. I enjoyed it even though it was quite slow.

A warning though...don't see it when you're hungry or else you'll disturb everyone with your growling stomach. :lol

That's funny. The person I saw it with must've been extremely hungry because her stomach loudly growled for about 25 minutes. It was pretty uncomfortable.

 

[Mifune]

I pretty much loved it. It struck me as pretty hilarious, but then I really like Jarmusch.

Bill Murray was absolutely amazing. This performance was the best of his "serious" ones.

 

[Doth Togo]

A great film. Three in a row for Murray... Lost in Translation, Life Aquatic...and this.

Spoiler

Why no comments or love for "Lolita?" Smokin' hot.

 

[Macam]

That's not 3 in a row technically :

Broken Flowers (2005) .... Don Johnston
... aka Broken Flowers (USA)

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) .... Steve Zissou

Garfield (2004) (voice) .... Garfield
... aka Garfield: The Movie (USA: promotional title)

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) .... Bill Murray (segment "Delirium")

Lost in Translation (2003) .... Bob Harris

I didn't care for The Life Aquatic either, although, again, that may be more of an Anderson thing (The Royal Tenenbaums wasn't my cup of tea either). I liked snippets of it, but again, the movie on the whole isn't something that left me with anything other than comfortable thoughts of Cate Blanchett.

I like Murray's movie selections of late, but I think directors need to find better ways to extrapolate more of his abilities than the last few movies have, which seem rather LiT derived.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Or maybe Murray should put a different spin on his character, as he's the actor. His character in Broken Flowers did not remind me of any of his previous roles, though. As I said, I was never completely sold on those movies. He does a great job with Jarmusch.

 

[Triumph]

Or maybe Murray should put a different spin on his character, as he's the actor. His character in Broken Flowers did not remind me of any of his previous roles, though. As I said, I was never completely sold on those movies. He does a great job with Jarmusch.

Huh? His character in Broken Flowers is very similar to the one he played in Lost in Translation.

Anyway, I saw the movie tonight. I think that Jarmusch is an acquired taste- much like drinking straight whiskey, sometimes it's not the best thing to do. The movie was good but was also very bland at the same time(like other Jarmusch movies, IMO). Jarmusch was lucky that he had a very good cast that could make this watchable and even enjoyable for the most part- lesser actors would have been very bad at this.

 

[teepo]

me and my girlfriend didn't think highly and she's a HUGE jarmusch fan it but we both tought it was still good. we both thought that the film was smart and how it made its point was very well done but we just can't relate to murry's character at all. and also it was boring and bland at times and needed more winston.

also it didn't help that he played the same character as in lost in translation.

 

[Mifune]

also it didn't help that he played the same character as in lost in translation.

You mean how he played another aging actor involved in a crumbling marriage who strikes up a friendship with a much younger woman?

Oh wait...

 

[Triumph]

You mean how he played another aging actor involved in a crumbling marriage who strikes up a friendship with a much younger woman?

Oh wait...

I think it's more the general "confused middle aged guy going through midlife crisis" kind of role, myself.

 

[Mac the KNife]

I wasn't sold on any of Murray's previous serious roles

See "The Razor's Edge"



His 1st serious role. I liked it.

 

[enjoy bell woods]

Oh, I haven't seen that. Will check it out.

 

[teepo]

You mean how he played another aging actor involved in a crumbling marriage who strikes up a friendship with a much younger woman?

Oh wait...

it's kindoff how arnold plays the same role in every movie.

smartass.

 

[Mifune]

Sorry. On Mondays I take things completely literally.

 

[Macam]

Murray isn't playing the same role as he did in Lost in Translation, but it's eerily reminiscent of it and I believe Jarmusch went in so far as to say that he wanted that "kind" of Murray specifically, although I'll have to track down the interview where, and if, he said that. What makes Broken Flowers feel so empty was the hole left both by Murray's character and the script; things are left as is, but there's almost no character depth to Murray's character, and with the script acting as a very loose framework with which to guide the story along to the conclusion, I think the movie just feels vapid. The silences which worked so well in Lost in Translation worked well because they had context provided by Murray's interactions with other people. Here, in Broken Flowers, he spends virtually the entire movie alone and resigned, so there's nothing to add that extra layer of impact. The movie just feels flat from start to finish, with the exception of when Jeffrey Wright comes into a scene.

 

[teepo]

a lot of what you said did not make sense due to the fact that bill murry did not spend the entire movie alone and resigned and saying how jarmusch wanted murry to go as far as having him act like he did in lits.

and yeh if you want to get all technical and over analytical, he is playing a different role in broken flowers but that doesn't change the fact that the way he preseneted his character was very similiar to what he did with lost in translation.

 

[Bebpo]

Saw it tonight and thought it was good but probably Jarmusch's worst film (even below Ghost Dog which is kinda a weak film). I dunno what to make of it exactly but it just felt a little off compared to his other works IMO.