Garden State

Hollywood has a long tradition of making films about outsiders, people who, for one reason or another, don’t meld properly with mainstream society. From Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), from Clerks (1994) to Up in the Air (2009), American filmmakers have specialized in making slightly cynical films about alienation. Garden State was made in that grand tradition.

It is the quirky story of Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff), an over-medicated struggling actor who goes back to his home in New Jersey after his mother dies. While there, he encounters old school friends, and falls in love with a sweet but unusual young woman named Sam. The movie essentially tells the story of Andrew’s attempt to sort out the tangled web of his life and reconcile with his father during his week at home.

The film has a respectable cast. Zach Braff is best known for his role as John Vorian in the TV series Scrubs, but he has also been in The Ex and Chicken Little.

His school friends are played by Armando Riesco (Law and Order, Fever Pitch, National Treasure) and Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey, Shattered Glass, Rendition). Sam is played by Natalie Portman (The Phantom Menace, V for Vendetta). Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings, Time Bandits, Brazil) plays his father.

The movie was written and directed by Zach Braff and is partially autobiographical. Braff is from New Jersey and wrote the script during his college years when he was waiting tables, homesick and depressed. The film is good at tapping into the post-high school angst felt by many a 20-something searching for meaning in his/her life. Largeman says at one point, “You realize that your home isn’t your home anymore.”

It is quite clear that he and his friends no longer have the same connection that they’d had as teenagers. In fact we get the sense that Largeman is uncomfortable around all of the people from his past. The only one who offers him any comfort is Sam, who is a new acquaintance.

This is a good movie and well worth renting. It is understated, funny and touching all at the same time, although, someone looking for a traditional romantic comedy should probably look elsewhere.

About the Author

Andrew Vallance

Freelance Writer

Andrew is a Fernie local (despite being born in Calgary) is twenty eight and enjoys all things geeky, including super hero movies, Role-playing games, and anything created by Joss Whedon. He hopes to one day overthrow the capitalist system, but for now will satiate his desire for radical change by cursing the conservatives.