Garden State

Year: 2004

Grade: B-

Country: USA

Director: Braff

Review

garden state not only refers to the setting of the film, but also to the condition of the protagonist; at least i think that’s what he (writer/actor/director zach braff) was getting at. the film is about braff who is a mentally confused twenty-something actor who is isolated from his surroundings. naturally he meets a girl (natalie portman) who changes all this. it’s a story that’s been done a million times, and was perfected in 1967 in “the graduate.” so, what does “garden state” have to offer? the acting is good, the soundtrack has a few good tunes, the writing is mostly good – some of the heavier moments could have been a bit more naturalistic, and the visuals are sometimes good. you’re going to read a lot of reviews that call it an amazingly moving piece of work and you’ll read some that call it a nice try, but not original enough…the truth is that it’s somewhere in between. the ending is the usual fare and i don’t think it’s entirely earned. there are some inspired moments and some unique characters and some good writing, but it’s not an amazing film in any way.

Watched in theater