From garden variety to "Garden State," sitcom star Zach Braff wrote, directed and starred in his own film, and the result is right on.
"Garden State" offers a fresh twist on finding love in the wrong place and life where you didn't think you left it. "Scrubs" star Braff stars as Andrew Largeman, "Large" to his found-again friends in New Jersey. A self-unacknowledged actor numbed from 10 years on prescribed drugs, he finds himself reacting to life unexpectedly.
Home for his mother's funeral and away from his meds, Largeman discovers what is feels like to deal with consequence, inadvertently ousting the languish routine. While Largeman embarks on an unfolding self-discovery, he meets Sam (Natalie Portman), who is just what the doctor ordered. She is the kind of girl with enough crazy and wonderful qualities to set new standards in love stories.
Many of the moments counteract each other, but in the end the movie finds its way to a simple kind of cohesion.
Largeman slowly reveals to his passive pals why he was absent for the past decade. As much as he is influenced by circumstances that enable him to find his way out, his impact on suburbia is hardly recognizable. The film moves from a solid focus on the problems of the main character to the multi-colored problems and illusions that set the sub characters apart from each other. The overwhelming feeling of being alive while watching the characters traverse through "Garden State" was enhanced by the carefully selected background music.
The only downside was the lack of music in the foreground, a minor flaw in an otherwise fantastic movie that leaves the audience wanting more as the credits come to a close.
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Braff excelled in his directing debut, proving he is more than just laughs on television. This is where indie-movies begin.
