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Garden State [2004]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Zach Braff (from the TV show Scrubs) stars in his writing/directing debut, Garden State--normally a doomed act of hubris, but Braff pulls it off with unassuming charm. An emotionally numb actor in L.A., Andrew (Braff) comes back to New Jersey after nine years away for his mother's funeral. Andrew avoids his bitter father (Ian Holm) and joins old friends (including the superb Peter Sarsgaard) in a round of parties. Along the way he meets a girl (Natalie Portman) with demons of her own; bit by bit the two offer each other a little healing. Plotwise, Garden State is familiar stuff, a cross between The Graduate and a Meg Ryan movie, but Braff has an eye for goofy but resonant visual images, an ear for lively dialogue, and a great cast. The result is surprisingly fresh and funny. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

Editorial
Synopsis

Andrew 'Large' Largeman (Zach Braff of TV's Scrubs) is returning home to New Jersey for the first time in nine years to attend his mother's funeral. A struggling actor in Los Angeles, he's been living under clouds of medication prescribed by his psychiatrist father (Ian Holm). After drifting through the funeral with the same emotional numbness he's felt for years, he reconnects with old friends Mark (Peter Sarsgaard), a gravedigger, and Albert (Denis O'Hare), a millionaire who invented noiseless Velcro. In a doctor's office, he meets ebullient Sam (Natalie Portman), an epileptic whose lust for life inspires Andrew to feel things that his medication long denied him. Over four days, he develops feelings for Sam he didn't know he was capable of, and faces up to the resentment his father holds toward him about an accident that happened long ago. Writer, director, and star Zach Braff makes his debut feature with this off-kilter, unusually smart, self-assured coming-of-age film. GARDEN STATE has a knack for sharp-edged humour, character quirks, and finding lovely imagery within the mundaneness of the suburbs. These things combined are abundant evidence to indicate that Braff's filmmaking future is filled with limitless promise.

Awful
Review date: 2008-06-04 Rating: 2 out of 10

This was a terrible film, I watched it along with my boyfriend who agreed with my opinion on it. We just had to turn it off after an hour because we just couldn't stand to watch it anymore

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Reviews


love it love it love it
Review date: 2008-04-21 Rating: 10 out of 10

sweet and lovely. subtle and quirky. beautiful music and amazing shots. watching it feels like falling in love.

Garden State: Pleasantly numb
Review date: 2008-02-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

I got this film as an avid fan of Scrubs, curious to see what Zach Braff could manage away from his role as 'J.D.', and on the whole, although I wasn't completely blown away, I wasn't completely let down either.

This is a fairly pleasant film, certainly not uncomfortable to watch or suffering from poor acting, etc. It successfully puts you into the state of the main character (Zach Braff) - a sense of pleasant numbness. It does however leave you wanting a little more; its all very well getting across the main charater's emotions, but I didn't feel quite the same upsurge of emotion at the end as the main character displays, which is a slight let down. Its been well put together and looks clean and fresh. There are a few funny moments in the film, but its worth remembering that this film is not like the scrubs sitcom where Zach Braff made his name - a little more laid back, relaxing.

However, having said that, it makes for a pleasant night in, and would probably suit a couple having a quiet night in with a bottle of wine.

Promising and affecting debut
Review date: 2007-10-18 Rating: 8 out of 10

Transferring his goofy persona in 'Scrubs' to something more delicate and considered must have been a challenge but Zach Braff proves he has an eye for human frailty that many up-and-coming filmmakers simply can't match. 'Garden State' is a subtlely funny and emotionally wrought drama that tends to hint rather than pontificate about the thoughts and feelings of the characters.

Braff himself is excellent and convincingly switches the madcap energy of JD into the inner numbness of Andrew Largeman. Natalie Portman gives a wonderfully amusing and endearing performance as the kooky girl who breaks through Andrew's cold exterior and it is possibly her finest role since 'Leon'. She is mesmerising in every scene she's in and her character's inner vulnerability makes her all the more intriguing. Peter Sarsgaard is also great fun as Andrew's directionless friend with a trailer trash mother and he balances Braff's withdrawn performance neatly. Finally, the wonderful soundtrack heightens the power of the fine script with some thoughtful interludes (The Shins are a particularly inspired choice).

However, the film doesn't quite pull off the Woody Allen observations it strives for and the ending feels a little too neat and tidy after the complexity of the relationships it has created. Ian Holm is also sadly underused as Andrew's father and their faltering relationship could have been turned into a far more interesting sub-plot. Still, a great start to Braff's directorial career and I hope his next effort continues in this vein.

Sweet and rewarding
Review date: 2007-08-15 Rating: 10 out of 10

That bloke out of Scrubs unexpectedly delivered an absolute peach of a movie in the shape of Garden State. He wrote it, directed and acted in it - a combination that could have spelt ego-disaster but instead Braff goes the understated and quiet route and the film gains its power from its sparseness. The story is of an LA bit-part actor who goes home for his mother's funeral - it's funny, sweet and special. Look out for the tiny father-son moment of contact - breaks me in two every time. Brilliant.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Natalie Portman
Ian Holm
Zach Braff
Peter Sarsgaard
Jean Smart

Creators:
Zach Braff (Primary Contributor)
Natalie Portman (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
EAN: 5017188816205
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2005-05-02
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 109 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2003
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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