Garden State

Starring: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, Peter Sarsgaard
Directed by: Zach Braff
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) has lived most of his life in various drugs to calm him down and stunt his emotions. When his mother dies, he reluctantly returns home to his father (Ian Holm) and best friend (Peter Sarsgaard). When he meets a pretty but odd girl (Natalie Portman), he begins to reevaluate his life.

Review:

Tim: I always liked Zach Braff, even though I rarely ever watched his show, "Scrubs" (although I liked what I saw when I did). Here, he positions himself in front of and behind the camera. This is completely his movie, and Braff delivers a touching, funny film that we as an audience quickly warm up to. His achievement is a delightful little film that proves to be wildly enjoyable.

Braff is outstanding behind the camera. The film never feels rushed. Braff lets the movie move at a perfect pace, and he lets his actors (himself included) do their thing. I truly believe he has a long and prosperous career ahead of him as a director, if he so chooses.

The cast is very good. Braff has such an appeal and such good comedic timing. He is hilarious and incredibly likeable. Natalie Portman is a good match for Braff, and the two have fun together on screen. The rest of the cast is incredibly strong, and the supporting performances contribute as much to the overall movie as the lead actors do.

I like this movie so much because of its size. This is a small movie that feels big. Braff has a story to tell, and it is funny, memorable, and humorous. He doesn't set out to light the world on fire, just to tell his simple story, and that is exactly what he does. This isn't a perfect movie, but is still remarkable, especially coming from such a young actor/director. Garden State is one of the most intelligent, touching movies of the year.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8


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