The resolutely single Don Johnston has just been dumped by his latest lover, Sherry. Don resigns himself to being alone yet again and left to his own devices. Instead, he is compelled to reflect on his past when he receives by mail a mysterious pink letter. It is from an anonymous former lover and informs him that he has a 19-year-old son who may now be looking for his father. Don is urged to investigate this “mystery” by his closest friend and neighbor, Winston, an amateur sleuth and family man. Hesitant to travel at all, Don nonetheless embarks on a cross-country trek in search of clues from four former flames. Unannounced visits to each of these unique women hold new surprises for Don as he haphazardly confronts both his past and, consequently, his present.

Broken Flowers (2005)
  • Rating: (49,848 votes)
  • Tagline:Sometimes life brings some strange surprises. »
  • Runtime:106 minutes
  • Director: Jim Jarmusch
  • Countries:USA, France
  • Actors:
    Don Johnston
    Bill Murray
    Sherry
    Julie Delpy
    Mona (as Heather Alicia Simms)
    Heather Simms
    Rita
    Brea Frazier
    Winston and Mona's Kid (as Jarry)
    Jarry Fall
    Winston and Mona's Kid
    Korka Fall
    Winston and Mona's Kid (as Saul)
    Saul Holland
    Winston and Mona's Kid
    Zakira Holland
    Winston and Mona's Kid
    Niles Lee Wilson
    Winston
    Jeffrey Wright
  • Genres:Comedy, Drama, Mystery
  • Producers:
    Jon Kilik
    producer  
    Ann Ruark
    co-producer  
    Stacey E. Smith
    producer (as Stacey Smith) 
    Karen L. Thorson
    associate producer (uncredited)  
  • Plots: The resolutely single Don Johnston has just been dumped by his latest lover, Sherry. Don resigns himself to being alone yet again and left to his own devices. Instead, he is compelled to reflect on his past when he receives by mail a mysterious pink letter. It is from an anonymous former lover and informs him that he has a 19-year-old son who may now be looking for his father. Don is urged to investigate this "mystery" by his closest friend and neighbor, Winston, an amateur sleuth and family man. Hesitant to travel at all, Don nonetheless embarks on a cross-country trek in search of clues from four former flames. Unannounced visits to each of these unique women hold new surprises for Don as he haphazardly confronts both his past and, consequently, his present. Written by Focus Features
Broken Flowers
  • User's comment:Wonderfully unique and charming (but perhaps too spare) by drjimmycooper

    I just saw this at a press screening. It's very smart, well-made and entertaining, directed with sure-handed control, full of quirky, funny moments and superb acting. The film pretty much avoids clichés, although it does rely a bit on the familiar "Aren't Middle-Americans quirky?" idea for its humor. But Jarmusch never goes too far with this, his restraint keeping the film propelled from beginning to end.

    The only weakness for me is rooted in the film's strength: I feel like there's not quite enough here.

    Murray's character is beleaguered and despondent, Murray plays him with perfect subtlety. This is fun and fascinating to watch; I found myself hanging onto every little expression on Murray's face. But, the combination of his passive, muted performance and the spare storytelling left me wanting more. It just doesn't have as much impact as I feel it could have. So, yes, it's wonderful minimalism, but perhaps a bit too slight of a movie to have any lasting resonance.

    Bill Murray has added another very good performance to his career, and Jim Jarmusch has made another compact little gem (unlike some of his more recent films). Unique and entertaining. Definitely worth seeing.


  • Quotes: Don Johnston: [to Lolita] That was quite an outfit you weren't wearing earlier. Don Johnston: [to his neighbour's young daughter, about her dad] Keep your eyes open... he might be Dolemite. Winston: You are the Don Juan.
  • Also known as: Broken Flowers (Finland - imdb display title), Broken Flowers (France), Broken Flowers (Germany), Broken Flowers (Poland), Flores rotas (Argentina), Flores rotas (Mexico), Flores rotas (Spain), Сломанные цветы (Russia), Broken Flowers - Blumen für die Ex (Germany - TV title), Broken Flowers - Flores Partidas (Portugal), Broken flowers - särkyneet kukat (Finland - alternative title), Dead Flowers (USA - working title), Flores Partidas (Brazil), Hervadó virágok (Hungary), Kirik çiçekler (Turkey - DVD title, Turkish title), Murtud lilled (Estonia - TV title), Slomljeno cvece (Serbia), Tsakismena louloudia (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Untitled Jim Jarmusch Project (USA - working title), Zlomené kvetiny (Czech Republic), Zlomené kvety (Slovakia),

What do you think of this movie? Leave a comment.