Garden State Discourse

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2004)

Zach Braff (Scrubs fame) has essentially created a very simplistic romantic comedy, looking at the film at its core, however he has also successfully added layers of depth that makes the film stand out by focusing on issues of self-discovery, confronting the past, and the father -son relationship.
Braff, who wrote, directed, and starred in the film, plays the main character, Andrew Largeman, also known throughout the film as 'Large', a reasonably successful young actor who has spent his entire life hooked up on drugs prescribed to him by his demanding father, played by Ian Holm. When he finds out about his mother's death he takes a 'vacation' to his hometown that he hasn't visited in nine years. Large finds many of his old quirky friends still living in the town and attempts to escape confrontation with his father by spending time with them. By sheer luck he runs into a girl called Sam (Natalie Portman) who is unlike anyone he has ever met. Her free will and optimistic spirit allow Large to reveal the joys and heartache of his life.
Smart, witty, and offbeat humour is found throughout the film, but Braff is smart enough to keep his character true to itself. He achieves this by making other characters retort subtle and comical remarks at just the right moments and fails to fall in the trap of constructing humour purely for the sake of it.
The strong cast line-up provides absolutely superb acting, especially the instance chemistry that can be felt between Large and Sam from the get-go. Braff stays true to his character throughout the film and delivers a performance that shows his versatility and ability to know exactly how the character could be portrayed successfully. Portman is the highlight of the cast and supplies a performance that is almost Oscar-worthy as the self-confessed liar, Sam. Other minor characters, such as Holm as Large's controlling father and psychiatrist, Gideon, also perform admirably considering the quirky roles each were given.
Minor faults, such as Braff's attempt to attach unusual traits to all of his characters, that sometimes the drama seems too forced in certain scenes, and also the glorified happy ending are understandable and can be forgiven due to it being Braff's first effort.
The emotional connection established between the characters thanks to the intelligently well -written script combined with the brilliant soundtrack simply make it the best film of the year to date.