Garden State Review
by Bob Bloom (bob AT bloomink DOT com)August 23rd, 2004
GARDEN STATE (2004) 4 stars out of 4. Starring Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter
Sarsgaard, Ian Holm, Ron Leibman, Method Man, Jean Smart, Ann Dowd and Denis O'Hare. Written and directed by Zach Braff. Rated R. Running time: 109 mins.
Andrew Largeman is among life's walking wounded. He drifts through the world under the spell of lithium, which his psychiatrist father has been feeding him since he
was a youngster.
But the drowning death of his mother inspires "Large" to abandon the drugs and
take a short vacation to his New Jersey home for his mother's funeral.
This is the basic premise of Garden State, a quirky, heartfelt comedy, directed and
written by Zach Braff of Scrubs fame, who also stars as Andrew.
Filmgoers conditioned to a certain kind of cinematic linear progression may find
Garden State a bit puzzling. Not that it doesn't follow a chronological timeline, but in
the way Braff handles characters and situations.
People from "Large"s past come and go leaving situations unresolved, as in real life.
Andrew is a moderately successful actor in Los Angeles, which seems odd because
of his mental state. Yet as he explains to Sam (Natalie Portman), a young woman he
meets at a doctor's office, acting allows him not to be himself.
"Large" spends the weekend hanging out with old friends, mostly Mark (Peter Sarsgaard), who makes his living as a gravedigger. It's not that he misses his friends;
it's more of a diversion to avoid having to deal with his father, Gideon (Ian Holm), a
cold and critical individual.
It is the free-spirited Sam who helps release Andrew from his medicated doldrums
as she transfers her infectious love for life to her new acquaintance.
Braff has an ear for dialogue, not movie talk, but the way real people converse. The
pauses, the search for words — the right words — overflow from Braff's script. It is
one of the best of the year and deserves an original screenplay Oscar nomination.
As a director, Braff also has a wonderful eye for composition as well as when to
start and stop a scene. Some sequences end abruptly, leaving you wanting more.
Characters are introduced, then dropped, yet their few moments are memorable,
such as Jean Smart as Mark's mom or the young man dressed as a fast-food knight,
or the store clerk who tries to entice "Large" into a pyramid scheme.
Braff stays true to his vision through his open-ended finale. Does "Large" return to
Los Angeles? Does Sam go with him? Or does he stay in New Jersey to make a new life
with her?
For the answers to those questions, you'll have to spend a delightful 102 minutes
with Garden State. It will be a different, but enjoyable experience.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be
reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site:
www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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