A movie about a generation that Time Magazine referred to as 'Twixters.' (spoilers)

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2004)

Garden State is another low budget, honest movie that knocks the socks off anything mainstream has had to offer in it's tired repertoire in at least the last fifteen years (if not more).
Garden State is a sad and brutally honest look at not really apathetic youth, but more like disillusioned youth. You might particularly relate if you grew up in a small town and left after high school and came back to find that too many of the people you once knew never progressed beyond their high school character. That is seriously disheartening, especially if you're that static character.
This is the story of Andrew Largeman (Braff), a young man living in L.A. From the beginning, he is embued in this extreme repetitive, ritualistic life that really seems to mean nothing. He is emotionless. He gets a call from his dad to come home because his mother died. And thus, sets off events that force him to rethink things about himself, about his family, and everything else. A much needed wakeup call. Andrew meets Sam (Portman), quite a genuine character as the young woman who's opposite nature of Largeman force him to kind of shake his own emotionless state and confront all those things that he consistently avoids. One of those floating angel type of characters, where they force the protagonist to change because of their differing outlook on things. Kind of like Mark Ruffalo's character's ability to change his sister in the movie 'You Can Count on Me.' Only Sam is quite lively.
This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. My only problem with it was the ending at the airport, in which Braff appears to have acquiesed to the Hollywood ending (there's nothing wrong with a happy ending, it was just the sappy way it was done, which kind of deflects from a genuinely honest story and characters up to that point). Braff and Portman give excellent performances and Braff has really proved both directorial and writing capabilities. I look forward to what he has to offer in the future. But enough of that. Get off your kiester and go see the movie already!