GARDEN STATE
Cast: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, Peter Sarsgaard...
Director: Zach Braff
Writer: Zach Braff
Review Date: 08/18/04
Written By: Suj
Rating: 10/10
The Plot_________________
A young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
The Review_________________
If there was movie out there in this lonely world we live in that has the ability to make you feel, love, and take a step back to look at you life "garden state" would be that movie. Zach Braff best known as the character, JD, from the hit NBC show "Scrubs" has unleashed his grand talent in creating movies with such ease that its kinda scary. In "Garden State" Braff has carefully crafted a story filled with mounted drama with an elegant touch of comedy that gives way to unguarded performances out of its key players, specifically Natalie Portman.
The movie follows Andrew Largeman (as played by Braff to utter delight) as a struggling Los Angeles actor living in a zombified state due to anti-depressants and his icy family, who reside back in New Jersey. When news comes to Largeman that his disabled mother has drowned, he returns to his home state for the funeral, reconnecting with his mostly deadbeat friends (including Peter Sarsgaard) along the way. Experiencing his first weekend of a chemical-free life since he was a child, Largeman stumbles into the world of Sam (Portman), a young epileptic, who helps Largeman confront his feelings toward his family and himself.
Braff to me is the future of motion pictures, if for the rest of my life I was sequestered in a room and only allowed to watch "garden state" I would die a happy man. For me to blab about how good this film really is won't do it the justice of you yourself entering a theater and experiencing the magic with your very own two eyes, but nonetheless I’ll try my best to paint you a picture.
The film has that feeling of warmth something you write home about, something you can connect to, something just basically makes you strip your life to its bare bones and remember that no matter where you go home is where you make it. Mixed with a captivating script and visuals filled with subtle style that the movie undoubtably captures you with every single frame.
Entertaining, breathtaking, refreshing, are some words I would use to describe this film and perhaps I’m getting over my head in my praise but frankly that just how I feel about this movie. Funny, too is another word I could use to describe this film whether it be the witty banter between Large and his childhood chums, the quirky people he meets along the way, the wonders of a medieval knight showing his ability to speak the language of kilgnon or perhaps having the word BALLS written on your forehead. There are a lot of funny moments wrapped around this little gem of a movie.
As the funnies weave in and out of the movie its in the heart of the story where the drama spreads and invokes the emotion that we all have hidden inside. Andrew Largeman is subdued and jaded that he hasn't actually known what it is to feel alive and more importantly feel what it is to be happy, to be "in it" as they say in the movie. We follow him as he reconnects with his past, fighting to come to terms with his mother's death, rekindle a relationship with his father, explore a feeling of friendship with people he last saw 9 years ago, and take a first step into a romance with beautiful girl that make him happy and makes life feel that more tangible.
Braff excels is in his evocation of the deluded lives of the people of this film, as they circle the bottom of the barrel through drug use and questionable moral choices. You can literally feel the weight of these people’s lives during the movie, as well as the tight bond explored between Largeman and Sam. Braff does great work getting these two characters together in way that isn’t overtly quirky or unbelievable.
The most shining aspect of this starry-eyed film that just rises it up towards the clouds so that no other movie can bare to reach it is the extraordinary performance of Natalie Portman as the adorable pathological liar Sam. The character reminds me of a young Annie Hall, so just take that little description mix it up with the beautiful Nat and you can probably envision why this character is a scene stealer. Portman plays Sam with such charisma that hits the heart and makes the performance that much more cheerful, funny, and deeply enthralling. I haven't seen Natalie this good since her work in both "Leon" and "Beautiful Girls".
Braff as director is filled with style. “State” resembles the style of one Wes Anderson and his school of highly controlled visual poetry. The film just looks utterly beautiful and tossed in with stylish techniques that makes the movie that more stunning whether it be slow-mo or dubious crane shots or the unforgettable last shot as the camera zooms away which is all backed by one beautiful soundtrack, its all just beautiful it all its love-filled meanings.
By watching this film I understand what David Ansen of Newsweek meant when he said that "...Braff has a genuine filmmaker's eye and is loaded with talent..."
“Garden State” is essentially a tale of guilt, romance, and a thinly veiled look back at the life and home you left. This is the quintessential “first film” and the birth of the next great filmmaker.
Director: Zach Braff
Writer: Zach Braff
Review Date: 08/18/04
Written By: Suj
Rating: 10/10
The Plot_________________
A young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
The Review_________________
If there was movie out there in this lonely world we live in that has the ability to make you feel, love, and take a step back to look at you life "garden state" would be that movie. Zach Braff best known as the character, JD, from the hit NBC show "Scrubs" has unleashed his grand talent in creating movies with such ease that its kinda scary. In "Garden State" Braff has carefully crafted a story filled with mounted drama with an elegant touch of comedy that gives way to unguarded performances out of its key players, specifically Natalie Portman.
The movie follows Andrew Largeman (as played by Braff to utter delight) as a struggling Los Angeles actor living in a zombified state due to anti-depressants and his icy family, who reside back in New Jersey. When news comes to Largeman that his disabled mother has drowned, he returns to his home state for the funeral, reconnecting with his mostly deadbeat friends (including Peter Sarsgaard) along the way. Experiencing his first weekend of a chemical-free life since he was a child, Largeman stumbles into the world of Sam (Portman), a young epileptic, who helps Largeman confront his feelings toward his family and himself.
Braff to me is the future of motion pictures, if for the rest of my life I was sequestered in a room and only allowed to watch "garden state" I would die a happy man. For me to blab about how good this film really is won't do it the justice of you yourself entering a theater and experiencing the magic with your very own two eyes, but nonetheless I’ll try my best to paint you a picture.
The film has that feeling of warmth something you write home about, something you can connect to, something just basically makes you strip your life to its bare bones and remember that no matter where you go home is where you make it. Mixed with a captivating script and visuals filled with subtle style that the movie undoubtably captures you with every single frame.
Entertaining, breathtaking, refreshing, are some words I would use to describe this film and perhaps I’m getting over my head in my praise but frankly that just how I feel about this movie. Funny, too is another word I could use to describe this film whether it be the witty banter between Large and his childhood chums, the quirky people he meets along the way, the wonders of a medieval knight showing his ability to speak the language of kilgnon or perhaps having the word BALLS written on your forehead. There are a lot of funny moments wrapped around this little gem of a movie.
As the funnies weave in and out of the movie its in the heart of the story where the drama spreads and invokes the emotion that we all have hidden inside. Andrew Largeman is subdued and jaded that he hasn't actually known what it is to feel alive and more importantly feel what it is to be happy, to be "in it" as they say in the movie. We follow him as he reconnects with his past, fighting to come to terms with his mother's death, rekindle a relationship with his father, explore a feeling of friendship with people he last saw 9 years ago, and take a first step into a romance with beautiful girl that make him happy and makes life feel that more tangible.
Braff excels is in his evocation of the deluded lives of the people of this film, as they circle the bottom of the barrel through drug use and questionable moral choices. You can literally feel the weight of these people’s lives during the movie, as well as the tight bond explored between Largeman and Sam. Braff does great work getting these two characters together in way that isn’t overtly quirky or unbelievable.
The most shining aspect of this starry-eyed film that just rises it up towards the clouds so that no other movie can bare to reach it is the extraordinary performance of Natalie Portman as the adorable pathological liar Sam. The character reminds me of a young Annie Hall, so just take that little description mix it up with the beautiful Nat and you can probably envision why this character is a scene stealer. Portman plays Sam with such charisma that hits the heart and makes the performance that much more cheerful, funny, and deeply enthralling. I haven't seen Natalie this good since her work in both "Leon" and "Beautiful Girls".
Braff as director is filled with style. “State” resembles the style of one Wes Anderson and his school of highly controlled visual poetry. The film just looks utterly beautiful and tossed in with stylish techniques that makes the movie that more stunning whether it be slow-mo or dubious crane shots or the unforgettable last shot as the camera zooms away which is all backed by one beautiful soundtrack, its all just beautiful it all its love-filled meanings.
By watching this film I understand what David Ansen of Newsweek meant when he said that "...Braff has a genuine filmmaker's eye and is loaded with talent..."
“Garden State” is essentially a tale of guilt, romance, and a thinly veiled look back at the life and home you left. This is the quintessential “first film” and the birth of the next great filmmaker.
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