Now i have made my first million from Ciao i am going to take it a bit easier
Now i have made my first million from Ciao i am going to take it a bit easier
Member since:05.02.2006
Reviews:66
Members who trust:46
Story -------
Don has just been dumped by his girlfriend & to add to his problems he receives a letter from one of his exes telling him that he has a son of 19. His neighbour Winston is a budding detective and he takes it upon himself to help find out the identity of the mother.
Within hours Winston has found addresses for 5 of Dons old flames & planned out an itinerary for him so he can go visit them and look for clues. Don begrudgingly sets off on an emotional roadtrip to meet his exes who he hasn't seen for 20 years with amusing results.
Opinion ------------
Having only recently seen lost in translation I was quite sure that other emotions based film starring Bill Murray wouldn't disappoint but in some respects it did. The story itself reminded me of High Fidelity to the extent that he was revisiting old flames, not to find what he had done wrong this time but to fish for information & see if he really did have a son.
There is a similar wavelength to Lost as Murray is as hollow and loveless in this ( and to some extent Rushmore), staring
into space, pondering, not understanding his role in other peoples lives. This seems to be a recurring role for him of late and he has certainly got it down to an art. This is in my view the saving grace of the film but it is becoming a bit tired as there's only so many times I want to see this recreated above the backdrop of weak storyline. There is no explanation as to why he has got to the place. Is it his previous success in computers & the money that came with it that has alienated him from the people around him? The contrast of Winstons successful family is a bit extreme & Murray manages to interact with them successfully so why not with Sherry who is leaving him during the opening scene. He is an aging Don Juan, a recurrent theme in Wins tons dialogue - why? how? what? Jarmusch wrote the script in 18 days and these holes are the result.
Before we had even set off on the journey I had already predicted the types of women his exes would be.
1) Needy,happy to see him ex, Stone sleeps with him and her daughter flirts outrageously but only manages to confuse him further as to what people want from him. Stones husband was a rally driver who had died in a car crash leaving her as a sort of 1 parent mother trailer trash type character. Lolita, the daughterseemed almost thrilled that her dad had died in such an exciting way "it was on TV!" she gleefuly tells Don. She is probably my favourite character in the film other than Don
2) changed beyond recognition -Penny the Real estate saleswoman & her over enthusiastic husband. I really felt for Murray during this reunion, everything was screaming get out even if she is the one, a very uncomfortable meeting. Her husband digs out an old flower power photo of Penny which makes her even more uncomfortable & the meal her husband makes Don 'enjoy' with them makes canteen food in Napoleon Dynamite look appetising.
3) wacky 60's nut job stuck in the past - Carmen can talk to animals!!! After her dog died she realised she could communicate with animals, the dog was called Winston -maybe this holds some sort of clue to the plot that i missed - i still dont know
4) And the inevitable angry one - Dora, living in a run down home with a biker gang she hates Murray for coming back into her life. It looked as if this was the reaction Don expected from all of his exes. he knows he has treated them badly & being punched by her biker mates has redeemed him in some small way for his past behaviour
5) And the inevitable dead one - Quite a touching scene when the beat up Murray takes flowers to the grave and actually looks as if he has some regrets at last.
The film ends with Don thinking that he has found his son but i felt all he had really found was a brief insight into his past, not really learning anything new about himself other than he was lucky not to have stuck with any of his exes.
I found Winston to be very annoying & Murray to be making the most of a holey script that left us not caring if he ever found his son or not - 2 unexpected pregnancys out of five
Details ----------- released 2005 runtime 106 minutes ( 1 hour 46) Director - Jim Jarmusch ( Ghost dog ) Writer - Jim Jarmusch rated 15 - some nudity / strong language Tagline - Sometimes life brings some strange surprises
Cast -------
Don Johnston - Bill Murray (Lost in translation) Sherry - Julie Delpy (3 colours red) Mona - Hather Simms Rita - Brea Frazier Winston - Jeffrey Wright (Basquiat) Lolita - Alexis Dziena Laura - Sharon Stone (basic instinct) Dora - Frances Conroy Ron - Christopher McDonald Carmen's Assistant - Chloë Sevigny (kids) Mrs. Dorston - Suzanne Hevner Carmen - Jessica Lange (cape fear) Penny - Tilda Swinton (adaptation) Sun Green - Pell James The Kid - Mark Webber
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Good review: I couldn't stand this film, but I seem to be in the minority! I did feel you gave away a bit too much of the plot though, if I hadn't already seen it.
gantzgraf 10.09.2006 19:33
Yeah... not as good as other Jim Jarmusch movies, but still worth a look in my opinion. Great review - Rob.
Don Johnston is an empty man. Hes not short of money, thanks to his considerable success ... more
with computers, but he is short of emotion, and very much alone. Yet as the latest woman in his life exits stage left, he receives a mysterious note. In it, he lea...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Don Johnston is an empty man. Hes not short of money, thanks to his considerable success ... more
with computers, but he is short of emotion, and very much alone. Yet as the latest woman in his life exits stage left, he receives a mysterious note. In it, he lea...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
As the devoutly single Don Johnston (Murray) is dumped by his latest girlfriend (Delpy) ... more
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Bill Murray (Lost In Translation) stars as Don Johnston, an ageing Don Juan who is ... more
compelled to reflect on his past when he receives by mail a mysterious pink letter, sent from a former lover informing him that he has a 19-year-old son. Don's unannounc...
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Aug 7th, 2006
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