Who Is Your Daddy, Anyway?

Seems like there's a lot of love going around for Bill Murray. Like a virus, it is. Throughout Hollywood, at Cannes, in the press, amongst the hipster elite...everybody's lovin' that hangdog face. Seattlest can't blame 'em, as Bill's worked so hard lately to mold meaty, genuinely affecting performances in well-crafted films and in return, gotten the shaft every year come award season.

It makes sense then that his latest film, Broken Flowers, would be met with great anticipation---especially since it's directed by Jim Jarmusch, no slouch himself on cool. After winning the Grand Prix (second place award) at Cannes, it was picked up for distribution by Focus Features, known for their ability to steer successful openings of such delicate films as Eternal Sunshine and Lost in Translation. Broken Flowers is in the vein of both those movies, especially the latter, as not much happens in the film by way of action; the real drama is occurring within the individual.

Murray, as expected, is wonderful. The older he gets, the more comically sad his face becomes, all the better for creating nuanced performances. And perfect for a playing an aging, lonely lothario in search of his heretofore unknown son. In this film in particular, Bill's acting is restrained to the point of minimalism, done more through his body and subtle facial features than through his words. Murray said as much in this week's Entertainment Weekly:

"My responsibility is to represent how I'm affected by what happens. And the only way to do that is with my body. It was difficult. I think it's advanced for any actor to take away their lines and see what they can do. But there's a real purity in getting yourself out of the way and letting your vessel, so to speak, do the work for you."

While Murray makes good use of his vessel (huh huh), he's got an outstanding supporting cast on hand to round out the film. Jeffrey Wright, as Murray's nosy neighbor/amateur sleuth Wilson, is tremendous, like always. As are Murray's past flames, played by four top-notch women of a certain age: Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, and Tilda Swinton.

Like most critics, Seattlest enjoyed the movie a great deal and would encourage you all to go and see it, pronto. Starting tomorrow, it's at the Harvard Exit, showtimes:

Fri, Aug 5: (2:00 4:30) 7:15 9:50
Sat, Aug 6 - Sun, Aug 7: (2:00) 4:30 7:15 9:50
Mon, Aug 8 - Thu, Aug 11: (2:00 4:30) 7:15 9:50