Broken Flowers

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Hey, we love Bill Murray as much as the next guy, whether it’s the smart-ass Bill in Ghostbusters and Caddyshack, or the cerebral Bill who's in Lost In Translation and isn't in Caddyshack II. But sometimes we wish he'd cut loose and do something—anything—other than running the gamut of emotions from A to…well, A–minus. Sure, Broken Flowers is a thoughtful and witty road comedy—and one that was the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prize Winner—but it would also be borderline boring if not for the fine cast of actresses he gets to play against. In Flowers, Murray's a committed bachelor who receives an anonymous letter from one of his exes telling of a grown son he never knew about. This revelation sets him off on a soul searching tour of old lovers including Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton, and Sharon Stone. (A tremendous collection of hotties…20 years ago.) But nothing gets a rise out of Murray, not even Stone's daughter, the aptly-named Lolita, who gets naked and tries to seduce him in the living room when Mom’s not looking. Unfortunately, funny scenes like these are more the exception than the rule, making the rest of Broken Flowers one big dirt nap.