Thoroughly uninspiring

Rating: 5/10 (28 May 2005)

I find that good films -- the really good ones -- linger with me like a stirring dream. Subtle emotive undertones, flashes of scenes, thoughts about the characters -- they remain hours after watching. The best films affect a person, in the literal sense -- changing the viewer in some way, even if subtly.
This film affected me very little. Yes, there was some lovely scenery. Yes, the main parts were well acted. There were some good things about it, and I would expect that some viewers were affected by the moods created. For me, though, it was all way too thin. Some of the contextual elements of the film were, as far as I could make out, irrelevant to the central storyline and I had to question whether the writers had a clear and coherent sense of their characters, what shaped them, what made them tick.
If I contrast this film with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ... well Garden State pales in comparison. I liked the main characters in Garden State, and it certainly had some promising features. Problem is, the fundamental premises of the film have been used many a time, and in light of this, all elements of the film needed to be strong in order for the makers to accomplish an engaging and complete work.
Garden State just didn't do it for me. Thoroughly uninspiring.