Garden State
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Movie Reviews of Garden State
Movie Review: Poignant debut film from a very talented young man
Summary: 5 Stars
"You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore?" Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff), along with millions of American twentysomethings, has reached that point. He has returned home to New Jersey for the first time in nine years for his mother's funeral, except all he's found is the house he used to live in; no home in sight.
In L.A., he is a Z-list actor, obscurely known to some as a mentally-challenged quarterback in a bad TV movie. Listless is an understatement of Andrew's sedated life. That is, until he meets a young lady named Sam (Natalie Portman), who at first seems his opposite, what with her outgoing nature and tendency to lie for no reason, but as we get to know them better, we find out that they want the same things.
Throughout the film, Andrew runs into people who may have been his friends years ago, but are now just people that he used to know. Most notably among these is Mark (Peter Sarsgaard), a grave digger with big plans, but no ambition to carry them out. In fact, it seems like a lot of Andrew's old acquaintances are exactly the same way - and he's not much better. Meanwhile, Andrew's father (Ian Holm) wonders what happened to the happy son he had, but Andrew wonders where his father got the idea that he was happy once.
First-time writer-director Zach Braff has crafted an excellent film that I think perfectly captures the feelings of restless youth. Nothing can be done fast enough for us. Can't wait to get out of the house. Can't wait to be rich and famous. We want to be Large Men. Except while we're doing all this rushing around, we cut ourselves off from the lives we could be living, and turn around nine years later and wonder what happened to the life we thought we'd have.
The performances, in my opinion, are brilliant, in that they are subtly nuanced. They take what in a lesser movie would be stereotypical characters and turn them into real live people that you might know. You may have even had some of the same conversations that they have. I think that in 20 years, we may look back on this film when we want to remember what we were thinking in 2004.
Braff has a bright future ahead of him if he continues to make films. He is able to shift between comedy and poignancy at the drop of a dime, and doesn't cheat to get the desired effect. That's not as easy as it sounds or as he makes it look.
Movie Review: Quirky love story with panache
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a triumph for Zach Braff who directed, wrote, and also stars as Andrew Largeman who finds that love beats the holy heck out of lithium and assorted drugs bizarrely prescribed by his unfeeling father who just happens to be a shrink. Ladies and gentleman never let your father be your shrink.
I was quite taken with Natalie Portman who plays Sam who turns out to be Large's true love, and such a kinky, quirky, beautiful true love she is. Portman eschews beauty in every scene but manages to be cute and sweet and very emotionally evolved, which I liked. She is of course beautiful and brilliant as everybody knows, but here she tries something different. She strives to be ordinary and slight but with great emotive power. Nice performance.
The sound track which reminded this old guy of something from Simon and Garfunkel, and in fact there is a Simon and Garfunkel tune on it, was the sort of sweet, nostalgia-producing, alternative rock kind of sweet angst sound that lets you know that this is what youth is all about.
Largeman, wanna-be and somewhat successful/somewhat failed actor out on loan, comes home from the big city to rural New Jersey because his mother has died, unaccountable in a bathtub--which can happen if you are a paraplegic. He deals with a childhood tragedy and acquired guilt, meets his old buds, including Mark (Peter Sarsgaard) who is a full time slacker and part time dreamer and consummate doper. Largeman unveils his sidecar mobile--the only thing willed from his grandfather's estate--with its white star on combat green, and tools around town, parties a little and meets quirky Samantha who likes to tell lies as a kind of way to deal with the world. I knew a girl like that, only she knew when she was lying--if somebody caught her. Sam figures it's a tick like Tourette's, and anyway her lies are harmless.
The movie is sweet and mildly comedic with some original shtick, and at times a bit of a tear-jerker. More than anything it's a touching love story, which I can never resist. And, yes, it's very New Jersey like Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, although no songs by them on the track--not to mention Elizabeth Shue who was a classmate of Braff's in high school.
See this for Zach Braff who put a lot of his emotional life into the film and deserves the accolades he's received.
Movie Review: Worth the journey!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Zach Braff continues to amaze me. I first noticed him in the wonderful "Broken Hearts Club," playing Benji, a loveable gay twenty-something, obsessed with gym bunnies. He was so convincing, I didn't even realize he was straight until seeing him in Scrubs some years later. Now, with Braff's writing and directing debut, Garden State, he has left me in utter awe. Here is a movie that makes me realize why I love movies.
Braff is once-again fantastic as Andrew Largeman, a struggling actor/waiter living in Los Angeles. When he receives news that disabled mother has drowned, Largeman returns to his home state of New Jersey for the funeral, reconnecting with his mostly deadbeat friends (including Peter Sarsgaard) and finding love with a young epileptic (Natalie Portman), who helps Largeman confront his feelings toward his family and ultimately, himself.
Braff obviously got plenty of inspiration from his own life to write the screenplay. Brimming with real people and everyday problems, the screenplay is like a breath of fresh air. The dialogue sparkles and the characters are very well fleshed out and believable. The script has the perfect balance of comedy and drama; touching without being overly sentimental.
Natalie Portman is absolutely wonderful as Sam. She is a terrific and underrated actress lost in a string of terrible "Star Wars" prequels. She deserves more--much much more. Portman has a naive innocence, gorgeous smile, and uncanny acting ability that made her character remarkable and special. I went to the videostore right after to seek out more films that she has been in. It's a shame they are so few, but it's great that she decided to continue her education. I look forward to seeing her in this Fall's "Closer," with Julia Roberts.
Ultimately, the only thing that disappointed in Garden State was the typical sell-out Hollywood Ending. While it ended on a cheesy glimmer of hope, the tone of the ending didn't seem to match the rest of the tragic story. It felt rushed and inconsistent, but still heartwarming. Nontheless, Garden State is a terrific film with an exceptional cast and unique storytelling. It's a beautiful love story about life, and the unexpected ways it can come together. I loved this film and I recommend it highly. One of the summer's best!
Movie Review: Zach Braff is to Cameron Crowe...
Summary: 5 Stars
As cinematic genius is to intricate writing.
Recently I was able to find myself watching this year's most respectable film. I've never even heard of Zach Braff until this film came out, so hey, I'm being honest. Of course I've heard of 'Scrubs', but I only watch '24', so I wasn't a witness to the masterful Zach Braff. But, without further hesitation, let me tell you a bit about Garden State, not New Jersey, but the film.
Watching this movie is the equivalent to reading a Henry David Thoreau novel on a sunny day. It's gorgeous and full of inspiration, it's everything anyone should be coing to the movies for. Between the famililal attractions to the blossoms of love and the darker internal emotions, this film touches upon everything that is, well, life.
It's a simple story really. A man comes home from LA to attend his mother's funeral, and through a chain of events, tries to find personal solace. But, what makes this film so much different and better than the average bear, are the characters. With outstanding performances by Natalie Portman, who the Academy needs to look over, to the newcomer Braff, with his monotonous, but enjoyable and intriguing self, the characters deliver the 'ownage.' When the film's credits roll, you want more, you want to see the characers because you fall in love with them. If that doesn't kick off as a good film, then, whatever, I quit.
I left the theaters and immediately had to grab the soundtrack. With songs from The Postal Service, Frou Frou, The Shins, and even Paul Simon...you can't ask for a more ecletic and more magnifying mix. Much like Cameron Crowe, Braff seems to have hand picked, and cleverly I might add, his own soundtrack, and it's one of the best since Grosse Pointe Blank and Singles. The price of admission is worth it let alone, just from the visuals followed by this captivating soundtrack.
This film is just a powerful trip, like some sort of drug. It dwells in your inner thoughts and it won't leave you because in all honesty, these are themes that you can really relate to. Go see this film, it's one of these things you can't recreate to full perfection as it is on screen. It's really an experience and one of the better ones to have come in recent years.
Braff, you have the floor.
Movie Review: Natalie Portman's Best Role
Summary: 5 Stars
Garden State is the directorial debut of Zach Braff, better known as J.D. on Scrubs, the wildly popular comedy on NBC. Zach plays the lead role of Andrew Largeman, an actor in Hollywood whose biggest role was playing a mentally challenged person on a television show. It was apparent though that he wasn't doing many acting roles as of late since he was working in a Vietnamese restaurant at the start of the movie.
Andrew returns home to attend the funeral of his paraplegic mother who drowned, and over the course of a few days, he looks around to notice that while some things change, a lot of it stays the same. It's a clichè, but the saying "you can't go home again" is pretty apparent throughout this movie. Looking around you see all of his friends from high school, save one, are complete losers, and even the one who isn't that invented silent velcro isn't exactly a model citizen. They are all in dead-end jobs and drug and alcohol users.
The turnaround point comes when Andrew talks to his father, who is a doctor, about headaches and sets him up with a colleague. In the doctor's office, he meets Sam, who is played by Natalie Portman. I have seen Natalie Portman in quite a few roles, and of all of them, the character she played in this movie is my personal favorite. It turns out that Sam is an epileptic pathological liar with a love for all things animal and works in a law firm. Throughout the movie, the two of them get to know each other better, and strong romantic feelings develop. You can just tell there is chemistry between the two. They find a niche early on and it just seems natural.
Among my favorite parts of the movie is in the beginning, when Andrew gives Sam a ride home on the motorcycle, but she refuses to ride in the sidecar, because that would imply she was his bitch. While that was amusing, it was more amusing later in the movie when we see Mark riding in the sidecar. I'm not sure if it was meant to be implied, but that would mean that Mark was Andrew's bitch.
As with any love story, this one ends with a happy ending, but I am not going to say how, because I don't want to blow the movie for you. I definitely put this at the top of my list of must have movies of the year.