Very Cool!!!

So much average

Sadly Over-hyped

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The only thing that is amiss with this movie is the pacing, but I guess it was part of tone and setting the movie needed.A touching romantic escapade for Portman and Braff. Refreshingly candid with a hitn of irony and even cynicism.All in a great effort and the chemistry between the two leads is tangible.

Zach "Millionaire who crowdfunds to get his fans to pay for projects to make himself richer" Braff writes, directs and stars in this indie fluff piece. You know the indie movie type, the ones that look pretty but have absolutely no point or substance whatsoever.This particular one is full of unlikeable characters, generic clichés & practically no entertainment value at all.Yes I thoroughly have a bee in my bonnet regarding millionaires asking the unwashed masses for money but that isn't why I think this is poor! I think this is poor because *Drum Roll* it's pretty darn poor.I do not understand how this is a critically acclaimed multi award winning effort. By the end of the film I was exhausted, bored to tears and wishing I could merge Garden State with Friday The 13th and watch Jason go to town on the lot of them with a bladed instrument of his choosing!

Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) returns to his hometown in order to attend his mother's funeral. Because he is an actor, many of Andrew's friends see him as a 'big shot' and upon his return home Andrew is treated as a bit of a celebrity. However, Andrew is a troubled man with a troubling past who strikes up a friendship (and eventually) a relationship with Sam (Natalie Portman) a young woman with troubles of her own.It's clear from this film that Braff is setting up a narrative that brings together two seemingly different people who aren't actually all that different. It isn't an entirely original concept, but it's one that can really pull at the heartstrings if it's executed correctly. Unfortunately, Garden State gets some things right and some things wrong...One issue I had with this film is that I never really felt that Braff offered much development to any of his characters; his friends just seemed to be a rather clichéd bunch of frat-boy doofuses which actually made the first 20 minutes or so of the picture to be a particularly painful experience. Sam is an interesting character and I really hoped that more would have been made out of her being a compulsive liar - perhaps a bit of character depth or complexity to explain away her reasons for choosing to lie. Instead of this, you end up with Sam mentioning now and again that she's a compulsive liar and then her mentioning that she doesn't know why she lies, but that's all you get. There's little insight or depth to the picture which at times makes it hard to care what's happening. I could argue the same point with Andrew; a big deal is made about his past and his reasons for disappearing, but again all these details are skimmed over rather than being analysed deeper and I couldn't help but feel that the narrative was a tad simplistic at times. There is some animosity between Largeman and his father which could have been interesting, but is barely given any focus at all resulting in their exchanges having very little bearing on the picture.The one thing running in this film's favour are that both Andrew and Sam are likable and despite the narrative and character weaknesses I did actually find their blossoming relationship believable and kind of endearing. Natalie Portman is another selling point for this film giving a wonderfully quirky and edgy performance - it's a pity really that she didn't have more of a character to work with. Braff is OK, but is no match for Portman and I think he knows it. Sarsgaard is energetic, but his character is annoying and never really feels important to the story. Holm is in this film, but isn't really given anything to do.Garden State has its moments and both Braff and Portman are likable enough and share good chemistry and yes I did find their romance believable and engaging. However, when all is said and done, I just never felt that this film was firing on all four cylinders consistently enough and I found many of the characters to be underdeveloped, underwritten and therefore, both they, and the story, were never as interesting as they could have been. As I said in my summary, it is mildly engaging, but not much more than that.

Whenever conversations ensue about television or cinema the name Zach Braff eludes people, he is merely known as the 'guy from Scrubs'. But this charming, beautifully made romantic comedy tears this label away, he has cemented himself as not only a diverse actor but as an intelligent storyteller. Zach Braff doesn't own all the spotlight, everyone in the film is outstanding. Natalie Portman like usual is flawless in her 'girl next door' sweetheart and Peter Sarsgaad is also brilliant. this idea of having no particular villain within the characters but rather life in general, it is a very mature theme for someone, at the time, had a label of immaturity and 'child-like' quirks. People use their debuts in writing and directing to push their talents and explore new ways of making a film. Although Zach Braff may not of made the most original piece of cinema known to man, Garden State still pushes your emotions, certainly from a personal point of view Garden State left an permanent scar on my look of life. To really live your life to its fullest is to experience freedom. Garden State is full of interesting characters who are well developed and have no problem showcasing their chemistry with each other. The best directional debut in a very long time, Zach Braff has proved himself as a young pioneer of storytelling and the language that is cinema. A definite must-see you will never look at Zach Braff as the 'guy from Scrubs' ever again.