Solid Film About Self Discovery

Rating: 7/10 (3 July 2014)

When I think of coming of age movies of the last decade, there are several movies that come to mind, and quite possibly Garden State will be in that list. The film does a good job at capturing the time in your life when you are in between school and the real life and still trying to figure out your priorities in life. I really like how Zach Braff directed and wrote this movie. Even though it feels like a lot of other self discovery films, he brought something new to the table.
Having Natalie Portman as the lead female is also never a bad choice. Portman is one of the few actresses that bring a tremendous amount of realism to her characters. And she may very well have the best crying face in Hollywood. Her quirky Sam character perfectly complimented Braff's Andrew. Their chemistry is apparent right from the first scene together all the way to the last airport scene. Although I think the ending was one of the few major weak points the movie had. I was also a bit confused on the whole day-dreaming sequence up until the final scene when it started to come together.
Peter Sarsgaard was also a good fit with the cast. I'm glad that he didn't turn into just another druggie, and actually had depth to his character. The father felt rather flat to me, and even in the bedroom scene, I didn't feel much compassion for the man. But the real gems are the scenes just between Sam and Andrew. I think for that reason alone is why this film is constantly on top movies of the 2000's lists. What I really enjoyed about this movie, is that it's basically genre-less. It's not a true romance, comedy, drama or adventure. It's simply a pretty good movie about life.
+Chemistry between Braff & Portman
+No genre +Relatable life situations
-Ending falls flat
-One note dad character
7.7/10