Thursday, November 29, 2007

[Movies] Broken Flowers


"Broken Flowers" stars Bill Murray as Don Johnston(who's almost like Don juan), a man who made his money in computers and now doesn't even own one. a movie that i picked up from my DVD rental place thinking this might be a fun movie... only to realise it is a sober serious one... and well, after seeing it, i really dont know if i liked it, thot it was wierd but it is off beat and interesting...

Don, would not do anything that would have him move from his sofa, where he is almost stuck. His latest girlfriend (Julie Delpy) has decided to move out, and after she leaves, he remains on the sofa, listening to music or surfing thru tv channels.. you almost hold your breath waiting for him to make the next move..hehe... He even reaches for the glass of wine, changes his mind, lets it be..

The only time he gets out is to go to his neighbor Winston (Jeffrey Wright)'s house. that man, i tell u is amazing... his mind is working all the time.. go-getter,african, who supports a wife and five kids with about 3-4 jobs, and beyond that has time to surf the net as an amateur detective. In the mail, Don receives a pink envelope with a letter saying that about 20 years ago he fathered a son, and that a 19yr old boy might come looking for him.

Don couldnt care two hoots, but Winston is all excited, he devices a plan thru which Don can make a list of all the women he was with around that time and they can track who it is..and then he says Don shd visit all the ladies, see if they have a son, or a typewriter cos Winston is convinced the letter was done on a typewriter and if the lady has a love for PINK color.. he gives DON a file with dates, itinerary, flight tickets,maps, addresses, hotel room bookings, car rental info, and everything.. all don has to do is pay for the tickets and make his way to meet the women...

"The letter is on pink stationery," Winston says. "Give them pink flowers and watch their reaction." Don nods, barely, and embarks on his journey... At one point he phones Winston from the road, complaining that he has a weird car that doesn't suit his personality... Why couldn't he have a Porsche? "I'm a stalker in a Taurus" he says... ;)

First stop, Laura (Sharon Stone), who says she works helping people organise their cupboards.... Her husband was a NASCAR champion, but "died in a wall of flame." Her daughter (Alexis Dziena), who is named Lolita, offers Don her Popsicle and, unmistakably, herself. A strange mom daughter duo, they just seem to get by everyday the same way, with no fixed agenda... Don ends up spending the night with Laura but next morning gets into his car and leaves...

Second stop is at Dora's (Frances Conroy) who with hubby Ron (Christopher McDonald) is a into real estate. Don stays for dinner there, but gets into a kinda spat with Ron and so departs from there...

Third woman, Dr. Carmen (Jessica Lange), who is protected by her assistant... Carmen is an "animal communicator," who talks to people's animals, and conveys the msg to their owners... The best part is when a cat strolls in thru the window, sits next to her and purrs something.. Don looks at Carmen asking, "Is he saying something?" and Carmen replies "He says you have a hidden agenda." whoa.. talk about psychic thinking... :P .. he tries to get her to have lunch or coffee and she says she doesn't eat or drink.. yea,go figure.. is not married and loves her job.. she goes back to her clinic n Don has no choice but to move on..

The fourth woman, Penny (Tilda Swinton) lives in a dump, where Don sees many motorcycles, and two men giving him "the killer looks"... this is where he sees pink slippers n a pink typewriter.. which prompts him to ask her "do you have any children" when she loses her temper... those mean guys come over n give Don a punch or two leaving him out in the car in the field.. oh,well..

There was a fifth lady, but she has passed away, nevertheless Don picks up beautiful pink flowers and visits her grave site... and finally returns home... where he sees a boy lurking about on the bus station and again on the street while he was having coffee .. "could that be his son?", he goes after the boy, and gives him something to eat and drink.. before he can talk..the boy runs away....

the movie leaves you wondering if that was his son... what was happening.. how did Don have so many girlfriends, all of whom were happy to see him except the last one... Bill Murray is simply amazing... from doing nothing to meeting his ex girlfriends, to spending time with their husbands, getting hit by a girl''s friends... he is perfect for the role..

:) happy watching... watch it to see how different the movie is...

2 comments:

Vik Rajagopalan said...

Hey sounds like a neat one. Did it come here in the theatre????

Aarti said...

@Vik - nope, saw it on Dvd... :)