The first two thirds were really enjoyable. A drama which doesn't take itself all too serious. And Zach Braff is a perfect cast for the melancholic and cynic Andrew. But the ending is lame and much too stereotypical! What should this crap with the mother's necklace? And why the fuck doesn't Andrew just leave? Does he REALLY have to go back to Sam?
This movie hits a lot of different notes and feels especially ahead of its time. It's quite an impressive directorial debut for Zach Braff and it definitely feels quintessentially 2000s.
The soundtrack is amazing and was nostalgic for me personally, since I started listening to a lot of music around this time and indie music was just starting to become accepted by bigger budget movies.
Anyone that has seen a psychologist or taken psych medications will really be able to relate to this. The main character is on lots of psych meds and it plays a fairly large part in the plot. If it seems like Zach Braff's acting is really flat, that's an intentional choice.
Natalie Portman's character can be annoying in a few scenes, but it's also kinda endearing if you give it a chance.
I was not sure about what to expect from this film. I heard a lot of good stuff about it since it came out but I did not even know anything about the story. I finally decided to see it and despite having read all of those good reviews, the truth is that I was unable to connect with it. It let me always hoping to see something else and that does not happen. From the beginning the story gets stuck at the same place and what is certain is that there is not much resolution, besides the fact that it ends up with the same cliché ever, the typical romantic scene where love solves everything.
Written, directed and starring Zach Braff, here he plays a very reserved actor who returns to his homeland after many years to attend his mother's the funeral. Soon we realize that he is a little troubled and has many problems to solve with himself. Returning to his origins, he will try to understand why he is in a weak emotional state and also find that after all he was always stuck in the past and needs a change in his quiet life of a supposed film star in Los Angeles.
I never thought Natalie Portman would annoy me, I love seeing her act, but some of her scenes were really annoying to me! She did what she could with a very poor role. The same thing happened with Peter Sarsgaard, he had not much to get too. All characters needed more development and that decreased the film substantially.
The big problem I had with Garden State was the fact that I was never able to connect with it, it didn't felt real and some of the scenes were even a bit ridiculous. We reached the end with a feeling of emptiness, and it never gets to deliver what promises. Very disappointing.
My all time favorite movie! :)
watched this movie more than 5 times, finally came around watching it with audio commentary :)
This was a really solid first effort for Zach Braff writing and directing. I enjoyed the film. It was an eclectic character piece about connecting w/ oneself and making our pieces fit together w/ others. And, the soundtrack for this film is still one of the finest of all-time. It's difficult to believe that this film will be 20-years-old this year.
Good things: Zach Braff and Natalie Portman playing slightly quirky
And those were the only two reasons I managed to watch until the end
Not unpleasant, but entirely forgettable
Sweet movie. I heard it mentioned by Zach on the podcast he does with Donald Faison and decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. It's not your typical love story which is a good thing in my book.
Total waste of time.Boring and slow one of the worst i have seen over a year now.5/10
Zach Braff’s directorial debut, Garden State, is a compelling coming-of-age tale about self-discovery and the malaise of young adulthood. When Andrew Largeman returns to his hometown for his mother’s funeral he’s forced to confront his inner demons and meets an eccentric young woman who gives him a new outlook. Zach Braff and Natalie Portman give excellent performances; especial Portman, who’s wonderfully charming and charismatic. And the writing has a sharp wit to it that makes it quite powerful. Additionally, the soundtrack is incredibly well-crafted, and gives an emotional residence to the film. Garden State is a quirky and heartfelt comedy with a unique look at life.
Shout by aldyBlockedParent2014-11-05T09:41:13Z
Garden State was a really pleasant watch; "pleasant" seems like a very apt way to describe it. Zach Braff wrote, directed and starred in it and he did a pretty good job. The cinematography's really... neat. Every shot's so meticulously composed and the colours are all really nice. In that respect at least, it reminds me a lot of Wes Anderson's visual style. The soundtrack's great, the dialogue's natural, and while the plot's not exactly groundbreaking, it's just overall a really likeable film. Plus Natalie Portman's cute in it, so that's a huge plus. I'd completely forgotten everything I might have read about it by the time I got around to watching it, so I went in blind and it was honestly better off for it. Pleasant film/10.