BROKEN FLOWERS — *** 1/2 — Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone; rated R (profanity, drugs, brief nudity, violence, vulgarity); see Page W2 for theaters.
"Broken Flowers" is low-key and wry, two words that are often used to describe the films of writer-director Jim Jarmusch ("Night on Earth," "Coffee and Cigarettes").
But based on his performance in "Lost in Translation," as well as those in a trio of Wes Anderson movies, low-key and wry could also be used to describe the acting style of Bill Murray. And in that context, this comedy-drama is as much a Bill Murray movie as it is a Jim Jarmusch movie.
Admittedly, some may find the movie's pacing a bit self-indulgent and its sense of humor more than a little odd, but this rewarding, cinematic voyage of self-discovery also provides some real food for thought.
Murray stars as Don Johnston, a well-off bachelor whose most recent girlfriend (Julie Delpy) has described him as "an aging Don Juan." Don has recently received an unsigned letter from someone claiming to be a former girlfriend, warning him that he has a 19-year-old son who may be looking for him.
Don doesn't seem too interested in finding out more until his next-door neighbor and amateur gumshoe Winston (Jeffrey Wright) has him compile a list of his ex-girlfriends, narrowing the "suspects" down to four women.
Winston also makes arrangements for Don to travel across the country to catch up with these women and hopefully get some clue as to the identity of the anonymous letter writer.
As it turns out, Laura (Sharon Stone) has become a professional closet organizer and has a nymphet daughter named Lolita (Alexis Dziena). Former wild-child Dora (Frances Conroy) is now a real estate agent. And Carmen (Jessica Lange) is working as an "animal communicator."
But that's nothing compared to Penny (Tilda Swinton), who's living in a biker "commune" and isn't exactly pleased to see Don.
Not to give too much away, but the film's somewhat ambiguous ending is deliberate. Jarmusch is trying to make a statement about how it's the journey, not the destination.
He also uses a few more decidedly conventional storytelling tricks than expected (as quirky as the film is at times, it's probably Jarmusch's most commercial and straightforward work to date).
And it's fascinating to observe Murray's continuing evolution as a more serious actor. Much of his performance here depends on conveying emotions through only slight changes in facial expressions and eye movements.
Even more surprising is that some of the more humorous things come from the scene-stealing Wright, whose character is so amusing that he deserves more screen time (or perhaps his own spin-off sequel).
"Broken Flowers" is rated R for scattered use of strong sexual profanity, some drug content (marijuana use), brief full female nudity (done for laughs), a brief scene of violence (fisticuffs), and some crude sexual talk. Running time: 106 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com