| GARDEN STATE |
 2004 - USADirector: Zach Braff
- Reviewed by Vickie
But skilled storyteller Braff serves as writer, director and star in this off-kilter (in a good way) comedy-drama about a struggling young actor named Andrew Largeman—nicknamed “Large”—who reluctantly returns to his New Jersey hometown after the death of his mother. Aimless and emotionally lost, Large reconnects with his old friend, Mark (Peter Sarsgard), sort of tries to reconnect with his estranged father (Ian Holm), and develops a new friendship-turned-romance with a girl named Sam (Natalie Portman), whom he meets while waiting for an appointment with a neurosurgeon. (Long story.) Defying many typical cinematic conventions—like a linear storyline, a neatly resolved conflict or any kind of major dramatic center—Garden State is a series of interconnected vignettes that cover several days in the lives of its characters. They are (stories and characters) are alternately quirky, moving, weird and funny. But there isn’t a Big Important Message being beaten into the audience’s brain as the story kernels warm up and pop, and the best part of the film is that each scene serves as its own little postcard. The cinematography and art direction are top-notch and must be credited with the slide-show like vibe the movie gives off. It’s almost like Large took photos during his trip home, and we, the audience, are sitting next to him on a couch while he flips through them and explains what’s happening in each image. Placed within the superb visuals, the actors buoy the story and the performances are, like the entire movie, delicate. There’s no grandstanding and Braff doesn’t paint himself as the know-it-all lead or reformed failure who Puts It All Together by the time the closing credits roll. His Large is majorly screwed up and the film doesn’t pretend to “heal” him—he starts out a mess, he proceeds through the action a mess, and he winds up slightly (only slightly!) less messy by the film’s conclusion. Portman, though strong, is a teensy bit overanimated, making Sam come off as more manic than just colorful, and Sarsgard does a nice job as the “yikes, this is what could have become of me!” reminder for Large. You know, there really isn’t too much to say about a movie like Garden State because its beauty lies on the screen and not in what I might tell you about its merits or shortcomings. Just scooch over on the sofa, save a cushion for Zach and let him tell you the story. |
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Watching Zach Braff go for the big laughs on TV’s Scrubs, you’d
never suspect he’s the introspective soul who crafted this understated,
melancholy slice-of-life drama.
