Mixed feelings, with the balance tipping towards clichÃ©

Rating: 5/10 (22 July 2014)

Zach Braff's light-hearted directorial debut 'Garden State' was one of mixed feelings. Although the low budget comedy-drama may be the starting shot of a successful career, 'Garden State' left me feeling slightly disappointed, when I think about the movie that could have been.
Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) is a young man with a scarred past, who has numbed his problems with an always full medicine cabinet. As a kid, he paralysed his mother by pushing her over a dish washer. His father has always blamed Andrew, while he himself claims it was just due to the broken latch. He now returns to New Jersey for his mother's funeral. During his return, he develops a relationship with the spontaneous, talkative Sam (Natalie Portman).
Sam is the most interesting character in the film, wherein Portman shows she is more than just a pretty face. She creates a layered character with a complicated but likable personality, whereas to my mind Braff's numbness and quirkiness is more difficult to like. Braff's directorial choices are certainly not bad for a first-timer. His style is effective in portraying the character quirks of Andrew. While a director like Kar Wai Wong often uses slow-motion shots, Braff sometimes focuses on Andrews character and speeds up everything around him. As to the film's script, there are bright moments, but unfortunately, sometimes it lapses into force-fed Hollywood romanticism.
Nevertheless, I can appreciate the light-heartedness of the film and the "Graduatesque" relationship is interesting to an extent. However, the word 'forced' lingered in my head throughout the film. Granted, it is a good soundtrack, but the emotionality of the movie seems to force itself upon us by the use and timing of the songs.