Don Johnston, played by Bill Murray, is an ageing gigolo whose latest girlfriend has just left him. On the day of her departure he receives an anonymous letter telling him that he has an 18-year-old son who is looking for him. He didn't know he has a son, and he wants to know who the mother is. Based on the letter's postmark he narrows it down to five of his ex-girlfriends. He sets out on a journey to visit each one of them.
Is this a good film? A bad film? I can't really say. The film is stylish and has a strong sense of purpose, and it seems to be getting somewhere, but in the end -- and I know this is a spoiler -- it gets nowhere. The women are fascinating, each one different from the one before, but apart from the first he visits, played by Sharon Stone, there's no possibility of a romance rekindling. Bill Murray's usual low key acting makes me wonder how he could have been so successful with women. Maybe they only wanted his money.
I can't criticise the film for leaving loose ends, because I know this was deliberate. But it's still unsatisfying.
Have always quite liked this one. Bill Murray is good in this melancholy dramas, as well as more comedic stuff that we all know. The lack of a plot apart from the characters' relations actually worked quite well. Not a must-see but still a good change of pace.
ReplyDeleteI'm not criticising Bill Murray as an actor. He's good in this film, as always. My only question is why women like a man like the one he portrays. He seems boring. When a man is young he can get by on his looks to pick up girls. If an older man wants to pick up girls 20 years younger than himself he has to work hard to be witty and interesting. Like Julie Delpy, the gorgeous girl who plays his girlfriend Sherry in the opening scenes.
DeleteOk, well we seem in agreement then over the main man. I did also happen to see this one in a pretty neat old-fashioned cinema which added to the overall impression.
ReplyDelete