Garden State

This was almost the perfect movie. The acting was great, the direction was great, the script was brilliant, and the location shoots were perfect. Probably the most amazing thing about this movie was the screen stealing show stopping performance of Natalie Portman. She showed this brilliance in "Leon" aka "The Professional", and once again amazed with her talent. It contains different humour to your usual American movie and was a needed hit in the movie circles of 2004.

My only problem was a little part of the story that seemed out of place and not needed. This is not a spoiler, it is his friends wealth and invention. They just seemed unnecessary to me. This is a minor complaint and I eagerly anticipate Zach's next work. He could quite possibly end out being more famous behind the camera than in front of it.

I first heard about this film from The Shins. James Mercer mentioned this film in an interview and talked about how it raised awareness for the band. I decided to watch this movie only because of this, and I actually thought it was pretty sweet. I like the contrast between Andrew's junkie friends and Sam's innocent, loving family. You can really see how much the colors change from depressing browns and whites to warm reds and yellows. I think Zach Braff did a great job directing the film in that sense. Braff also did a good job playing Andrew. He really portrayed the numb mindlessness of Andrew, and really changed throughout the film. I like how we see Andrew go back to that numb mindless state when he is waiting on the plane after leaving Sam. It really goes to show how much he needs her. Overall, the film was very well made and the soundtrack is gold. I was elated when I heard an acoustic version of "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service playing at one point. I didn't know how versatile Natalie Portman was as an actress until watching this movie She played Sam very well and was one of the highlights for me.

"Garden State" has a very specific brand of humor that not everyone is going to get immediately. But as writer/director/star Zach Braff says in the bonus interview, "Is it funny? {Interviewer says yeah} Good. I never know if anyone else is going to find them funny. If nothing else, I'm making a movie that I'll enjoy."

And that's why this movie works. In comedy, the worst thing you can do is try too hard to be funny. "Garden State" falls squarely in subtle, almost deadpan territory... meaning there aren't any big sight gags, slapstick or knockout punchlines.

In that respect I'd put it in the genre of "movies like Bill Murray would act in" except there's no Bill Murray. I'm referring to flicks like Coffee & Cigarettes, Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic, which is essentially saying it's like a Wes Anderson film, or maybe Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World, Art School Confidential). There's a lot of visual storytelling, as in quirky symmetrical shots, stationary cameras on meticulously arranged sets, or a surreal vibe punctated by the camera slowly rising into the sky.

The story is something like famed French existentialist Albert Camus would write if he did comedy. A late-20s, emotionless, estranged son (Zach Braff) returns to his hometown to bury his mother. He seems devoid of all sentimentality as he wanders around meeting all sorts of crazy (and I mean crazy) characters from his past. Whether he's being nearly shot to death by an overenthusiastic cop, or molested by a hot blonde at a party, his range of emotion barely budges between bored and slightly perplexed. Then he meets his antithesis, a 20-something girl (Natalie Portman) whose range of emotion is somewhere between very amused and insanely happy.

It's the delightful contrast between these 2 characters, and their great on-screen chemistry, that turns an otherwise brooding sarcastic comedy into a really entertaining treat.

Another thing that really defines this film is the way every character, even the minor ones who only have 1 scene, are so bizarre and interesting that you feel like an entire movie spinoff could be made of each one. These characters include: 1) the grave digger who makes his real living by doing questionable things at the hardware store; 2) the grave digger's hot mom who is sleeping with her son's sworn enemy from high school; 3) the kid who got rich from inventing "silent velcro" and who now spends his time doing absolutely nothing; 4) the West African immigrant who is studying criminal justice and is obsessed with figuring out which dog is pissing on his phone; 5) the strange "Guardian of the Abyss" whom I won't spoil for you; and the list goes on.

The second half of the story focuses on a bizarre suburban quest the 3 main characters undertake, almost like in "Stand by Me" but with grownups and maybe a pornographic peepshow or two (btw the location of the climactic scene, "Kiernan's Quarry", is a real place--or at least it was until it got filled in & converted to condos a few years ago).

But as strange and nonsensical as it sounds, these are in fact "true stories from suburbia" as Zach Braff says. The entire film is a compilation of stories that happened to him and others in his small Jersey town growing up. "Garden State" has a magical way of bringing these seemingly random vignettes to our attention, making us understand the epic nature of obscurity.

So no, there may not be crazy car chases, bank heists or wacky jewel capers (...oh wait, actually there sorta is 1 wacky jewel caper), this film delivers a really entertaining ride from start to finish.

This is a really watchable film from a great new young director. Zach Braff, you may well know from the brilliant scrubs, writes and directs this very competent film. Basically it is a simple plot about a few days in the life of a man coming back to his home town for his mums funeral. Anyway what is really interesting in this film is the relationships between characters especially Zach's character and his dad and between Zach and Natalie Portman's character. There is a lot of quirky humour and surreal daydreams that can be seen as a direct influence from scrubs. If you liked Donnie Darko you should enjoy this, yet if also if you thought Donnie Darko was a pile of sentimental, surreal dross you should find that this is a much better and more 'real' film.

This is a film well worth watching

I really loved this movie. I mean, really. So it surprised me to come here and find it rated so low.

By no means is this a perfect movie. It can be slow or awkward from time to time and there are one or two moments that just don't work. But. By and large I was really impressed.

It's a great little story with just the right balance of comedy and drama, full of quirky characters and interesting performances. Ian Holm demands attention, as always, and Natalie Portman's Sam, while offputting at first, definitely grew on me as she grew into a real character.

But the real story here is Zack Braff. It should surprise no one who has ever watched Scrubs that his performance keeps the movie together; or that he is able to create a jokey, distant, somewhat sarcastic character who also elicits real empathy from the audience and manages to emanate deep wounds. What amazes me is the work he has done here as a first time writer/director.

First off, there is an actual narrative here with meaning and relevance. Too often, the big Hollywood movies will have a plot that resolves itself, but means nothing; on the flip side, independent movies almost seem to disdain plot for mood and thematic concerns. Braff is able to weave both together--a difficult task for a young writer. The dialogue is witty, plot situations intelligent and creative, and overall the writing is just--good.

As for his directing, there are a few odd choices. I'm still not sure I like one scene the main characters are screaming into a deep ravine and the camera sweeps away into said ravine. It just tossed me out of the movie a bit. I'm also not completely sure what to make of the movie's ending, which I won't go into further except to say that I felt it almost changed the focus of the movie up to that point and made it about something else. However, there are moments of absolutely beauty as well, here. The entire scene where Sam and Andrew talk in his friend's pool has some great shots, and Braff's comedic flair and timing are evident in his directing style, which still manages to pull back for the more dramatic and poignant moments.

I urge you to see this movie. It's not a "big" movie. It was never meant to be. But I have little doubt that, once it finds an audience, it will be remembered for years to come. Sort of a modern day Graduate with a more hopeful outlook on life.