Marvellous

Rating: 10/10 (30 April 2005)

If there's one thing likely to turn the stomach's of most men, it's the prospect of having to sit through a romantic comedy. The sickly-sweet musings of some flighty young girl yearning after a floppy-haired fop, usually played by Hugh Grant, seem all too much for their stout hearts. I'd like to think Garden State is different. Whilst there is still an underlying love story as two people who just met begin to learn they have certain feelings and desires for each other, this is mixed with a cocktail of death, drugs and lives filled with bizarre and colourful characters. Andrew Largeman (writer, director and star, Zach Braff) is living out in Los Angeles trying to scrape by as a part-time actor, full-time waiter. When he learns of his mother's death he returns home to find disappointment from his estranged father, and a collection of friends who seem to have done very little for the past decade besides party and take drugs. The one saving grace which makes his trip worthwhile comes when he meets Sam (Natalie Portman) whilst waiting in a doctor's surgery. Their quirky friendship soon takes off and soon, as in all love stories, they fall for each other, although unusually, there is always the feeling that these two people are together as friends first; lover's second. The film also shows their love as secondary to the story itself, giving the impression these could be two real people, living their lives and falling in love, instead of the hugely passionate mumbo-jumbo we often get from this type of movie. I was completely taken aback by this film. As with most, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but for me it's the best romantic comedy I have seen in a long time, and comes highly recommended.