Good for a first outing, but come on now... one of the best ever made?

Rating: 5/10 (29 January 2005)

I enjoyed this film. It is solidly crafted, interesting throughout, and funny. And I really like Braff, who is brilliantly funny in Scrubs, and Portman, who is a great actress and has a great future in store.
However, I tend to think that the hype on this film is a bit excessive. This film obviously struck a chord with many people. I don't mean to offend fans of this film, but I cannot comprehend why. I understand that this is a very personal film for Zach Braff, but his character and the film style reminded me a bit of Scarlett Johansen's character in Lost in Translation from last year, kind of a stunned lost soul wandering around quirky New Jersey instead of quirky Tokyo. The Natalie Portman character reminded me a bit of the Ruth Gordon character in Harold and Maude.... a free-spirit who unlocks the main character's repressed emotions (right down to the spontaneous dance). Perhaps it is "true" to Zach's life, but it is too personal and eccentric for me to identify with, I guess. There is no really outstanding imagery in this film that stays with me. And, I don't think Garden State is a film that I would want to or need to see over and over (like the two films that I mentioned above).
Therefore by the criteria that I adjudge film art, I would give it a good, slightly better than average, rating, but I would not rave and recommend it as one of the best.