Zach Braff's directorial debut is a masterpiece!

Rating: Null/10 (12 December 2004)

This film is brilliant. The acting is splendid. Braff conveys exceptional talent through acting so well, writing a screenplay worthy of an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Sarsgaard and Portman match him "line for line." It is unlikely that Portman will win a major acting award for this film as most judges would probably rather favour her performance in "Closer." Still, she shows that she is capable of undertaking multi-layered acting roles and I am glad that she has not left her career to "teen sex-romp comedies." Sarsgaard ability to act through body language deserves an award of its own. Also every other character brings an element of twenty-something teenage generation X angst to the film.
The script is very well-crafted as Braff uses each nuance of character and plot detail in order to convey his message and say, social commentary on how commercialism has affected the lives of American Generation- Xers, which lie somewhere "left" of Bohemianism, amongst a sub-culture, that has been a part of my life too for many years. In fact, I was able to relate to the "Klingon" issue; my friend speaks "Klingon." I also used to collect trading cards and remember having friends who often preached as to the potential value of their collections. The dialogue is ingenious and the characters execute comic timing to perfection. Rarely do I deem a film hilarious but Garden State deserves such a title because of Braff's ability to merge original comedic moments with universal dramatic irritations seamlessly.
The cinematography is terrific. This is evident in the scene where Braff is on a couch amongst his "repetitive" drug-induced friends, where the "passing of time effect," while he remains static is established beautifully. The soundtrack is also excellent and it is deserved of its proposed Grammy and Oscar nominations. Well done to Zach Braff, who at 26 has created a life-changing gem. Cheers. I need to catch-up on my Scrubs viewing and that film, "The Broken Hearts' Club."