An Interesting Failure

Rating: 7/10 (24 July 2005)

"Garden State" is one of those films that you see on a whim, and immediately recognize as something meant exactly for you. As a twenty-something disaffected youth, Zach Braff's bittersweet portrayal of a homecoming for a troubled character spoke to me probably more than it might someone older. I was genuinely surprised how good this movie was.
But why is it a "failure", you ask? It's not that the film fails to convey its message of acceptance and angst. It's just that I'm not sure the message was the right one.
Andrew Largeman returns home to attend the funeral of his mother, whose paralysis he reportedly caused while still a young child. Feared as a danger by his father, he has been on various drugs since he was ten years old. Now back in town after a brief glimpse of his unsuccessful life in LA as a struggling actor, Largeman finds himself in the midst of old friends whose lives have turned out even worse, and a new one whose life connects with his own.
The movie works in spite of some very "film student" moments (such as the final scene between Largeman and his father, a very understated Ian Holm) because you start to care for Andrew as his fog is lifted and he finally begins a real life. The romance with Sam (Natalie Portman) is never predictable. You knew it was coming if you saw the poster for the movie, but you don't know the way in which they react to one another. A previous commentator remarked how Portman finally gets to show off the charm that she possessed in earlier roles, and I concur. You can't tell me you wouldn't fall in love with a girl like Sam if you just randomly met her.
The failure is in the message of the film, which either seems to be rebelling against the funk that most of the characters find themselves in, or casually accepting it. I couldn't really tell which version Braff was trying to convey. There's a sense that he's being honest to what most twenty-somethings do when trapped in a small-town existence. I know myself people like the ones in the film, people whose lives revolve around the next party or the next opportunity to get high. In a small town, drugs are pretty much a crutch which keeps you from trying for a real life, imho. Braff manages to convey that disconnect from reality most effectively in a montage of speeded-up partying.
I think most of the characters stumble around in a chemical fog much like Largeman's, a point that I missed the first time around. It doesn't hurt that he takes an interest in the very lovely Natalie Portman.
Overall, the film has many faults, but it works on charm enough to make it a repeat viewing staple for disillusioned youth. I think Braff does go a little overboard in the styles he tries to incorporate, but he manages to make a good film despite it. And the soundtrack is a standalone masterpiece in and of itself. I don't know that this will attain "The Graduate" status, but it certainly has a good start as a cult flick worth discussing long into the night.