Are you "in it?"

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2008)

Quirky and self-indulgent, Garden State is about moments. The story about a socially challenged guy's discovery of life without pills has some beautiful moments. And yet, the film comes across as moody overall. This is definitely not a movie that you could pull out of your personal collection and watch anytime. However, if you are in a lazy introspective kind of a mood, you could sink into a couch and watch the moments unfold at their leisurely pace. The acting makes the film better than it is. The actors make their characters completely believable even as they impart a bit of subtle humor to the story. Some scenes would stay in your mind for a long time while some mediocre ones fade away rapidly. A film about self-discovery has to suspend fantastic plot lines to be seen as realistic. However, by making that bargain Garden State requires the viewer to be in the right sort of mindset to appreciate it. Definitely watchable once though.