Good.

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2005)

"Garden State" is the directorial debut from Zach Braff, who you might recognize from the NBC television series "Scrubs". After seeing his film, I can really only say ONE thing for sure: Zach Braff has a good career ahead of him. He is very well versed in the art of tugging at heart-strings. In fact, almost everything about his film seems made for the sole purpose of making your insides melt. For some movie goers, the dripping emotional scenes and easy accessibility of the film will be a huge attraction. However, for others, it may prove irritating and somewhat condescending. I personally enjoyed "Garden State" despite its inherent shortcomings and I'm definitely anxious to see what Braff will do next, but I have to say that this movie was kind of spoiled by its last half hour. Don't get me wrong. This is a good movie; however, it could have been a great one if Zach Braff had been willing to get rid of the pieces that didn't fit. What is good about Garden State is really really good, but what doesn't fit in the movie only serves to slow it down and remove the focus from a wonderful story about love and self-discovery. The film's running time is 109 minutes and if it was trimmed down a bit, I think that this would be an excellent film. Don't let that stop you from seeing "Garden State" though. There's too much good in it to be undermined by a few bad scenes and a few strange plot detours. This is definitely one of the better films of this summer.