Summer Movie Mania Week 8

As an avid fan of the show Scrubs it was my desire, nay, my duty to see Zach Braff's magnum opus, Garden State. Having also heard so many good things about it, I was looking forward to seeing what made it so unique, especially after having seen the ephemeral goodness that is the trailer. After countless other activities took precedent and a slight mix-up in theater location, I finally was able to sit down in the good ol' Manhattan Village cinema and take in a viewing. In short, I was not disappointed.

For those who haven't seen the movie, Garden State follows Mr. Braff's character as he returns home for the first time after a long stint in Los Angeles away from friends and family. What follows his initial arrival is a good study of what it's like to confront yourself for the first time, or at least that's how I saw it. The film was shot very nicely, with some good imagery throughout. There was never anything that seemed self-indulgent or flashy, and most every shot served a purpose in moving the story along smoothly. You'd have to be a film student to break it down more cleanly, I imagine, but I'm not, so too bad.

The performances by all the actors rang true for me. Although one could be used to seeing Mr. Braff act like a goofball on Scrubs, there is no room for tomfoolery in this film. One would almost say that he was quite stoic, really, but I feel it's a very important contrast, which I will discuss later. Now the real revelation was the performance of Ms. Natalie Portman. One can always attest any movie with Ms. Portman in it is a must-see, given her ultra-good looks, but the naturalism that she portrays in the film is enough to make a person forget for a moment who she is in life, and believe in her character on screen. Her line delivery is so rhythmically real that I was wholly impressed. Many have said that this movie made them fall in love with her character, and although I think that's a stretch, I could understand.

What I drew from the film is very similar to what others have said before, it's a good exploration of that mid-20s feeling. There's the feelings of self-doubt, anger at those around you, and the final acceptance of who you've grown up to be. As stated before, Mr. Braff begins the film quite numb, no doubt due to the Lithium-soaked life he leads in Los Angeles, but could also be due to his refusal to confront family history. Coming home forces the confrontation, but it also forces him to quit taking his meds, and ultimately, he becomes more alive than he's ever been. Now the transition from beginning to end was very well-handled, and Mr. Braff's acting shows very subtly these changes. I think, in a way, that it's a sort of rebirth for his character. This is only fitting since the reason he came home is because of a death in the family. It's an effective story, and only
strengthened by smaller points which I'll ignore for the sake of brevity.

Garden State is highly recommended by yours truly. Out of most of the independent films I've seen this year, I'd rank it in the top 3. Check out Zach Braff's Garden State Blog for more random news concerning the film.

Final Score: 4 out of 5 stars.