Garden State
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Movie Reviews of Garden State
Movie Review: Worth a visit...
Summary: 5 Stars
Zach Braff's directorial debut, Garden State, is the essence of an independent film. Made for a paltry (by Hollywood standards) $2.5 million, it has gone on to gross over ten times its budget and, more importantly, become the defining film for a generation of young, disaffected people who clearly identify with this personal movie and its fascinating characters.
There is an audio commentary by Braff and Portman that is quite engaging and personable. Not surprisingly, Braff dominates while Portman gamely asks him many questions to keep things going.
There is a second audio commentary featuring Braff, director of photography Lawrence Sher, editor Myron Kerstein and production designer Judy Becker. With his dry wit, Braff MCs this track as the participants talk about the more technical aspects of the movie.
Also included are 16 deleted scenes with optional commentary by all the participants from the second commentary. Braff puts the footage in its context and talks about why they were cut (for time).
"The Making of Garden State" examines how Braff put his movie together. There is quite a bit of decent behind-the-scenes footage and plenty of interview soundbites from the cast and crew. For a Making Of featurette it is refreshingly free of an excess of clips from the movie that always pad out the running time of these things.
There is also a fairly amusing collection of blown lines and bloopers.
Finally, there is a promo for the film's soundtrack.
Garden State is a film bursting with ideas, keen observations on life and memorable images that make most other films look inert by comparison. There is a tendency for first-time filmmakers to throw everything into the mix on their debut because they aren't sure if the film will succeed and they'll get a second chance. Based on the strong critical and commercial success of Garden State, I don't think Zach Braff will have this problem.
Movie Review: I could get into it, yes
Summary: 5 Stars
Andrew Largeman, played by the relatively-unknown Zach Braff, is called back from la-la land to the ongoing middle class mediocrity of his parental home, upon the death of his mother. He meets up with old buddies who are doing things like digging graves for a living, and having wild parties as the younger folk do. But his background is as a professional patient, and upon a visit regarding headaches, he meets up with Samantha (Natalie Portman), and decides that her rather comical home life, which is still taken very seriously by her mother and adopted brother, is better than his own. In a nod to that known group who shuns scientific medicine, he repudiates the treatment of his many years (it can't be that simple), then wanders off on his grandfather's motorcycle and sidecar, to hit the heights of the NJ suburban sprawl. I had the feeling that I was seeing something like Dustman Hoffman, as the befuddled suburbanite returning to a decadent home, in "The Graduate", only Braff really opens up and let's us get "in it", as he figures out just what he's going to do. Portman as Samantha plays the typically-modern American female, initially declaring no intention of getting close, but winding up with a change of mind. This is decidedly on the "chick flick" side of the fence, and the kind of thing you go to on a date (whether it is actually a "date" or not). The film has made ordinary bourgeois and near-bourgeois living into a great backdrop, and has many hilarious moments. It made me feel good, to the level of 4.8 stars. I picked it on a whim, since I'd arrived at the theater with nothing else to do and had to pick something that started in the next 30 minutes, due to a short attention span. Sometimes, larger things in life get decided in such arbitrary ways, but the karmic flow continues sweetly on. Here's to Largeman and Samantha, however they'll end up turning out. But the dig at medical doctors is something I still object to, being a skeptic at my root.Movie Review: One of the best.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a fan of Zach Braff ever since SCRUBS aired on NBC for the first time in 2001. I've followed Scrubs every season thereafter because of the witty humor and the intelligent jokes (not found too often on other network television shows) So I was geniunely excited when I picked up a magazine one day and read about Zach Braff's intentions on making a movie all his own. Months went by and the website for the movie went up and I stopped by often to see what progress had been made. All of a sudden I realized that this movie is going to be something different. A few more months went by and the trailer was finally released. A symphony of melancholy shots set to the beautifully arranged track "Let Go" by Frou Frou (a band that this movie has helped me 'discover') I knew from then on that I would do whatever it takes to see this movie in theaters. I live in a rural area and knew that there wasn't much of a chance that Fox Searchlight would be able to send a reel to a theater too close by so I started looking up the distrobution list and found that a theater 90 miles away was going to show it in August. I gathered some friends and we road-tripped to see this movie. It was worth it. This was one of the most emotionally touching film's I've ever laid eyes on. When you leave this film you start to analyze your own life and wonder if there's any way you can recognize the smaller things and appreciate them, instead of getting lost in all of your problems. Zach Braff has already proven to the world that he's a talented visionary of a director and did an absolutely amazing job writing and acting as well. I'm very excited about this film's almost surreal success as it will most definelty provide more opportunities to zach to share with us some more heartfelt and meaningful content. I still watch Scrubs every tuesday because, like Garden State it's a show that has hilarious shennanigans to show you, but at the same time, provides a powerful message.Movie Review: Coming Home to the Garden State
Summary: 5 Stars
"Garden State" is the story of Andrew Largeman played by Zach Braff (who's also one of the main characters in "Scrubs") Andrew is a failed actor who left his home at early age to for California. It's only at age 26 when his mother dies that he for the first time in 9 years comes back home to New Jersey to attend her funeral. And alot of memories comes with his return. His relation with his parents was never the best, first he was sent away to attend a school then he's been on lithium for depression since he was just a kid that conceal his feelings for love, hate, sadness and anger. While back home he decides to stop taking the medication, re-see some old friends and just relax from the stressy life he got. While at the doctors waiting room he'll meet Sam (Natalie Portman) a free thinker with very special character. Thanks to Sam, he'll eventually re-discover the beauty of life, love and to finally get Through with some of the feelings about his childhood that he never could with the medication and never dared getting Through with in the first place. Sam gives him courage, joy and makes him eventually realize what life is all about. Natalie Portman is exellent as Sam, she really proves her versability as an acress, having recently seen her in "V for Vendetta" also. "Garden State" is a cute drama with good plot, character developments and interesting issues that touches the audience. It reminds me of alot of European films with their simplicity but often so rich plots. It also fot a few memorable scenes not to miss. Other then great performences by Braff (who also wrote, directed and starred in his first lead role) and Porter who's wonderful!, we'll find Ian Holm as Andrew's father, Peter Sarsgaard as one of his friends and Ice Cube in a smaller role. While "Garden State" may not have been one of the most watched films of 2004 it certainly is one of the best and warmly recommended to be seen at home with your family or friends.Movie Review: Life-Affirming
Summary: 5 Stars
Garden State is a flat-out great film. I often talk about films with simple but altogether moving stories, like The Breakfast Club and Adventureland. This more than falls into that category. This is one of the finest first features from any director since Sam Mendes' American Beauty. I know that's saying alot, but Braff lives up to it. It's nothing less than a stroke of genius when a filmmaker so clearly defines himself with only one picture under his belt.
The film centers around the homecoming of Andrew Largeman, a second-rate Hollywood actor who's been over-medicated by his psychiatrist father since his pre-teen years when he was blamed for the crippling of his mother. Now his mother had died, and Andrew is coming back to Jersey for the first time in 9 years. He encounters high school friends, many of them trying to mooch off his "status" back in Hollywood(possibly a commentary on Braff's own personal life being a well known actor), but he also meet a few worthwhile people, one of them being Sam, a quirkier-than-thou girl(but one with a true soul that's uncovered not-too-late in the film) who seems to be the first person in Andrew's life that tries to dig deep into him to find his true spirit. She is MUCH more than a "love interest".
This film is truly about renewed life; Andrew gets rid of the drugs that has paralyzed his mind in the same way his mother's body was, he breathes true air for the first time, and finds that life might actually be worth living. That last message should be enough to warrant that you see this film if you haven't; it's inspired me to find the joy in life more than anything in recent memory. As for Zach Braff, I owe a huge debt to him; his next directorial project might be upcoming in 2 years(though it's been put on hold numerous times), but even if he never does direct another film, then I will still be eternally satisfied by this golden staple of independent film.