IMDb > Broken Flowers (2005)
Broken Flowers
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Broken Flowers (2005) More at IMDbPro »

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Broken Flowers (2005) -- As the devoutly single Don Johnston (Murray) is dumped by his latest girlfriend (Delpy), he receives an anonymous pink letter informing him that he has a son who may be looking for him. The situation causes Don to examine his relationships with women inst
Broken Flowers (2005) -- Clip: Where do you work?
Broken Flowers (2005) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Broken Flowers (2005) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Broken Flowers (2005) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   35,476 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jim Jarmusch
Writers:
Jim Jarmusch (written by)
Bill Raden (inspired by an idea from) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Broken Flowers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 August 2005 (Iceland) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Mystery more
Tagline:
Sometimes life brings some strange surprises.
Plot:
As the devoutly single Don Johnston is dumped by his latest girlfriend, he receives an anonymous pink letter informing him that he has a son who may be looking for him. The situation causes Don to examine his relationships with women instead of moving on to the next one, and he embarks on a cross-country search for his old flames who might possess clues to the mystery at hand. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
4 wins & 11 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(46 articles)
Joshua Leonard to star in and direct The Lie
 (From Movie Jungle. 16 October 2009, 3:15 AM, PDT)

Joshua Leonard Takes on The Lie
 (From MovieWeb. 15 October 2009, 6:43 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Another quiet and beautiful film more (477 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bill Murray ... Don Johnston

Julie Delpy ... Sherry
Heather Simms ... Mona (as Heather Alicia Simms)
Brea Frazier ... Rita
Jarry Fall ... Winston and Mona's Kid (as Jarry)
Korka Fall ... Winston and Mona's Kid
Saul Holland ... Winston and Mona's Kid (as Saul)
Zakira Holland ... Winston and Mona's Kid
Niles Lee Wilson ... Winston and Mona's Kid

Jeffrey Wright ... Winston

Meredith Patterson ... Flight Attendant

Jennifer Rapp ... Girl on Bus

Nicole Abisinio ... Girl on Bus

Ryan Donowho ... Young Man on Bus

Alexis Dziena ... Lolita
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Dead Flowers (USA) (working title)
Untitled Jim Jarmusch Project (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use.
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
USA | France
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Company:
Focus Features more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Jim Jarmusch said he wrote the role exclusively for Bill Murray, of whom he is a big fan. He planned another film to work with him, then changed his mind and then changed his mind again: Bill Murray is appearing in The Limits of Control (2009), Jim Jarmusch's next film. more
Goofs:
Continuity: While they're having dinner, Johnston spears several carrots on his fork, nudging one off the edge of the plate and onto the table. In the next shot, it's gone. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Sherry: I pretty much have all my stuff.
[picks up mail]
Sherry: Looks like you got a love letter from one of your other girlfriends.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Watchmen/Shuttle/12 (#1.2)" (2009) more
Soundtrack:
There is an End more

FAQ

How does it end?
more
110 out of 154 people found the following comment useful.
Another quiet and beautiful film, 5 August 2005
9/10
Author: mcshortfilm from United States

There has been a lot of talk that "Broken Flowers" is Jim Jarmusch's most commercially accessible film to date. One can almost hear Jarmusch muttering something reactionary like "commercial? That's just a label." It's a label that some Jarmusch fans might associate with "selling out". But selling out does not apply to Jim Jarmusch. He still has complete control of his work and is still the only American filmmaker who owns his own negatives. If "Broken Flowers" does break into the mainstream, it is nothing overly deliberate. Jarmusch makes familiar films that seem intimate in their tone. He toys with old themes while still leaving his films open to interpretation.

"Broken Flowers" is a travelogue and like most Jarmusch films, the story is more concerned with the journey but not so much about the destination. Bill Murray plays Don Johnston, a man who we know little about. We know he's single and we know he's had some flame's in the past. The last one just walked out on him. When Don receives an anonymous letter from one of these old flames, he learns that he has a twenty year old son who might be looking for him." Don thinks this is a joke but takes the advice from a friend to unfold the mystery by tracking down his past flings. He flies somewhere to a generic American place, rents a car and begins his investigation. Each ex has an individual personality but most of them share something similar. They are content and have moved on from the past. One of the ex's we meet works in real estate and decides it would be a good idea for her to get into the water business because "one day in the near future it will be more valuable then oil." The atmosphere is awkward and rather then care whether this woman is responsible for the anonymous letter, we just feel like getting out of there. The film's journey is absurd in many ways because we are never sure what the real point is. What is Don going to do if he does find his son? This where Bill Murray's credit as an actor shines through. We see from his small facial gestures that he is empty, and sad. There is a sense of longing as if life took a wrong turn somewhere and it is only now that he is realizing it. The ending of "Broken Flowers" is what really makes the film special. Don't expect too much or too little. Just see it. Its inspiring, hopeful and better then any other movie this year. The film also has a great soundtrack by Ethiopian musician, Mulatu Astatke. And we see in the credits that Jarmusch dedicated the film to French filmmaker Jean Eustache. Jean Eustache made a phenomenal film in the 1960's titled, "The Mother and The Whore". He had an influence on John Cassavetes and likewise both had an influence on Jim Jarmusch.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Broken Flowers (2005)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
NUDITY jewish-bagel
Lolita was naked because.... hkirklandsmith
Am I the only one who interpreted the ending in this way? kiliansabre
Plot Hole? *Spoiler* ryan_mccafferty
Why is this movie rated R??? melaniemaldo
Anyone else think Sherry planted the letter? mrcfilms
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