Broken Flowers
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: C+ Film: B
Jim Jarmusch cannot make a bad film. Sure, some films are better than others, but
every work is sincere, uncompromising and substantial. It is telling that when Robin Wood finished
his first edition of Hollywood: From Vietnam To Reagan, it ended on
Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate (1980), while the updated … and Beyond
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) ended on the work of Jarmusch as a
consideration of Hollywood cinema now.
One thing he points out is that his films are always about alienation,
putting the director into the rare cannon of mature intelligent adult
filmmakers who boldly focus on a cinema of loneliness.
He points out that he has done three black and white films
(Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law, the remarkable Dead Man),
three multiple narrative films with overlapping (Mystery Train, Night
On Earth and now Coffee & Cigarettes) and at least two that
would be considered action genre works, though not typical by way of commercial
predictability (Dead Man again and the also amazing Ghost Dog). Broken Flowers (2005, which shot
under the title Dead Flowers, though both titles seem extremely
appropriate) is in color and has a single narrative, which would push it into
the third category of action genre, which if you have seen the film, might seem
like this critic is pushing it.
However, it is Jarmusch’s terrific idea of a Road Movie, a subgenre of
the Action film in many ways.
This begins with the spoofy name of the character played
brilliantly by Bill Murray, Don Johnston.
Throughout the film, he is mistakenly called Don Johnson (without the
“t”) as he goes on his journey aided by maps and personal information from his
African American detective friend and neighbor (Jeffrey Wright as Winston, so
understated in Syriana and Michael Mann’s Ali) to find out about
a letter from an unknown woman about a 19 year old son he never knew he
had. Johnson had been a dramatic actor
for years and even in his young days played the “stud” role too often, is known
as the former husband of Melanie Griffith in real life and is best know for the
big 1980s hit song-rich Action TV series Miami Vice, with its African
American co-lead Philip Michael Thomas and created by Michael Mann. It is ironically being remade now, but these
coincidences are no accident.
Instead of driving across the country in an older sports
car or fancy newer sports car, Johnston goes from airport to airport, then
rental car to rental car to meet these women from his past. Besides the hilarious backstory joke this
builds throughout as the basis of his journey, it does this by pulling him away
from his sad contentment with retirement money, a stereo system and flatscreen
HDTV, ironically by a late involvement with computers as a cash cow. The guy would just be stuck there had it not
been for this letter on pink stationery in a pink envelope from an old
typewriter not connected to PC technology in any way. He is then drawn literally into this pre-techno past and it
brings him to life again.
Knowing if there is a son looking for him and if an
offspring of his is alive beings him back to life as if he has something new to
live for. The women he revisits are all
interesting and the kinds of unique women that reflect what kind of wild and
fun life he once had (Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton among them in
effective, memorable turns) and some young ladies here and there than echo that
past. It also becomes a long goodbye to
the fun era of the counterculture movement that makes all those great Road
Movies such classics. Now, he is
reduced to renting sedans, but likely had the fast cars and motorcycles to go
with the fast women suggested in some interesting shots or that one of the women
eventually married a race car driver.
Johnston may have a little more of a past than previous
Jarmusch antagonists, but is so isolated from it that he may as well be Ed
Norton in David Fincher’s Fight Club (1999) via modern conveniences
castrating and plasticizing his masculinity.
However, a bit of helpful detective work helps him almost go home again,
though he cannot shake off the pain (accepting as he may be of it) from the
disconnection and permanent cut off from it.
That leaves the comedy, which is clever, deadpan, remarkable and presented
in ways that you will miss some of the jokes the first time. Visually, it also makes for an interesting
counterpoint (intended or not) to Vincent Gallo’s controversial, explicit and
great Road film The Brown Bunny.
Chloe Sevigny appears in both films.
Outside of all that brilliance, it is a terrific film with
great performances and Murray in his understated serious cycle, still giving a
performance different from his work in The Life Aquatic (reviewed
elsewhere on this site) and Sofia Coppola’s fascinating Lost In Translation. In a time when actors play stupid, are
stupid and have little talent, yet show up in bad movie after bad movie, Murray
is doing some of the most significant work of any actor today and is one of the
few true movie stars we have left. Broken
Flowers is the best of his performances in this cycle yet and though this
may seem like Jarmusch’s most relatively commercial film to date, it is also
one of his best and most interesting yet.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 x 1 image is pretty good
as shot by cinematographer Frederick Elmes, A.S.C., with a great use of open
road shots, fadeouts, deep compositions and close shots throughout. Detail is a problem at times, but its
smoothness and consistence makes up for that.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is not spectacular and does not always use its
surround or subwoofer capacities, but dialogue is clear for the most part and
the use of music is exceptional. Mulatu
Astatke’s score is subtle commentary on the goings on and combine for a soundtrack
with distinction. Extras include
extended scenes, a behind the scenes segment, a frame on the CD soundtrack and
an outtakes section that is very entertaining.
This is one of the best films of 2005 without a doubt.
- Nicholas Sheffo
