Enjoyably Conventional, Consistently Funny and Touching

Rating: Null/10 (7 September 2004)

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS*** "Garden State" succeeds primarily in its delightful execution: its convenient, personal, conventional style while retaining a unique peculiarity that is simple yet intelligent. There are plenty of touching, funny allusions to contemporary society here, as the characters, their conflictions and environments represent a little piece of modern America. The players include: the antisocial junkies who simply live for themselves, the quirky, spontaneous "girl next door" (Natalie Portman), the free-spirited dopamines, and the still-searching, hapless young adult, struggling to find his own existence. The story revolves around Andrew Largeman, the latter of these characters, who "can't shed a tear for his mother's unexpected death" and is struggling to make something for himself years after his minor role on a television show, which happens to be the only achievement he is recognized for. So ensues an unpredictable, enjoyable odyssey of love, reconciliation, and self discovery in Largeman's quest to become SOMEBODY. Funny, intelligent, and enjoyable, though not too inspiring or in any ways virtuous, "Garden State" delivers at the very least a thoughtful message about the fates of life and how we respond and develop ourselves through acquaintances, reflections, and self understanding. "This is life. This is it." (Andrew Largeman) This film and its value is as simple and universal as that: don't choose to question life, but instead, merely accept what you are given and live the best you can. ***1/2 OUT OF ****