Broken Flowers (2005)
81%RT Audience Score: 70%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 14 nominations
Bill Murray’s subtle and understated style complements director Jim Jarmusch’s minimalist storytelling in this quirky, but deadpan comedy
Broken Flowers is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Some critics loved it, some thought it was just okay, but one thing is for sure, Bill Murray’s performance is a delight to watch. The film takes you on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, with a touch of humor and wit. It’s not a blockbuster hit, but it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something introspective and charming.
Production Company(ies)
Chartoff-Winkler Productions,
Distributor
Focus Features
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Wayne, New Jersey, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 47m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 5, 2005 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 3, 2006
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
Broken Flowers, Bill Murray, Jim Jarmusch, comedy, drama, Julie Delpy, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton, graphic nudity, brief drug use, language, Jon Kilik, Stacey Smith, Jean Labadie, reviewed by David Ansen, Victoria Segal, Geoff Andrew, Liese Spencer, Jo Berry, Ken Tucker, David Walsh, Richard Propes, Matt Brunson, PJ Nabarro, directed by Jim Jarmusch, written by Jim Jarmusch, box office gross, $13.7M, R rating, Focus Features, retired computer magnate, anonymous letter, former girlfriend, mystery fan, road trip, exes, deadpan comedy, minimalist storytelling, quirky, subtle, understated style, melancholy, fearful man, wry humor, wry observations, unique, charming, emotional, darkly comic mystery, minimalist approach, lonely life, too late to fix things
Worldwide gross: $47,329,961
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $72,130,072
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,178
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,865,875
US/Canada gross: $13,744,960
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $20,947,090
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,400
US/Canada opening weekend: $780,408
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $1,189,329
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,257
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $15,239,833
Production budget ranking: 1,507
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,206,650
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $48,683,588
ROI to date (est.): 208%
ROI ranking: 616
Jeffrey Wright – Winston
Sharon Stone – Laura
Frances Conroy – Dora
Jessica Lange – Carmen
Tilda Swinton – Penny
Jim Jarmusch – Director/Producer/Writer
Jon Kilik – Producer
Stacey Smith – Producer
Jean Labadie – Producer
Director(s)
Jim Jarmusch
Writer(s)
Jim Jarmusch
Producer(s)
Jim Jarmusch, Jon Kilik, Stacey Smith, Jean Labadie
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 14 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (193) | Top Critics (54) | Fresh (168) | Rotten (25)
Funny, bittersweet, its understatement yielding surprising depth charges, Broken Flowers is a triumph of close observation and telling details.
March 14, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
… Broken Flowers, coming from a postcode of its own, doesn’t quite deliver.
September 26, 2017
Victoria Segal
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
The ending is sublime, a set piece that almost makes up for the overwhelming slightness of it all.
August 16, 2007
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
After a career of deadpanning, Murray’s impassive performance is still fresh, funny, sympathetic and restrained.
September 28, 2006
Liese Spencer
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Subtle, warm direction from Jim Jarmusch and another Oscar-worthy performance from Bill Murray — will the Academy just give him a statue, already?
April 1, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Jo Berry
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Murray manages, almost impossibly, to come up with still another rich variation on his Depleted Man persona, and his performance is at once enormously generous and fiercely, concisely witty.
December 9, 2005
Ken Tucker
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
The film is slight, not especially malicious. Murray is entertaining to watch, even when, or perhaps especially when, he does not have a great deal to do.
February 15, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
One of Jim Jarmusch’s finer films.
September 4, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
A movie of wry humor and wry observations.
May 24, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
The film, and its very oxymoronic title, “Broken Flowers”, acts as a metaphor for the anti-epiphanies that exploring your past can present.
November 3, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
Murray shows us that what was behind his early-period jaded-hipster shtick was a melancholy and fearful man.
December 29, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Insightful, entertaining, and a worthy addition to the filmography of one of America’s more interesting modern directors.
September 26, 2009 | Rating: 62/100
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Bill Murray delivers a “hilariously deadpan” performance in Broken Flowers, according to an audience review on Fresh Kernels.
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