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Review of Garden State
By Dan Miller and Abby Wilner
Andrew "Large" Largeman (Zach Braff) works in a Vietnamese restaurant in L.A., but he's not Vietnamese. He does, though, apply eyeliner to give the appearance that he is Asian. A struggling actor, best known for his role as a retarded high school student, he holds the job down while trying to schedule auditions and manage his regimen of anti-depressants.
Things start to change when Large is called back home to New Jersey to attend the funeral of his mother, a paraplegic who drowned in the bathtub. Reunited with friends he hasn't seen in a decade and on a vacation from his meds, the film documents Large's psychological awakening as he meets his alluring polar opposite Sam (Natalie Portman), tries to reconcile pent-up anxiety toward his father and reconnects with friends he'd previously given up on.
Garden State is the directorial debut of Braff, better known as "that guy from Scrubs." Braff, who also wrote the script, pulls off an impressive feat in his first film, creating a personal, but relatable, story with the eye of a veteran filmmaker. Confidently shot and sensitively written, this is a movie that will strike a chord with twentysomethings who haven't felt that there is a film that really portrays today's quarterlife struggles.
The movie alternates between humor and angst even-handedly, as Braff skillfully breaks up the heavy bits with his original and sophisticated wit. Garden State wisely avoids Hollywood sentimentality, which is part of the reason why it resonates so deeply. There are no dramatic crying scenes and the big screen kisses are restrained. In one scene, Large gets emotional and wells up with tears (the first time this has happened in years). Aware of the significance, Sam retrieves a Dixie cup and attempts to save it as a souvenir.
The acting performances in Garden State are strong all-around. Directing himself, Braff fills the leading role with confidence and subtlety, as well as impeccable comedic timing. Natalie Portman is radiant as Sam. She's bright, sweet, and instantly likeable - despite her penchant for lying compulsively. And Peter Sarsgaard, impressive in both Boys Don't Cry and Shattered Glass, proves that his intense, mesmerizing gaze is capable of portraying both the tortured soul and the ordinary everyman.
Braff wrote the movie with with these specific actors in mind, and, although he never imagined they would agree to take a chance on his first movie, appealed to each actor with a personalized letter. It is obvious to see why the cast was drawn to and believed in the script.
One of the most striking things about Braff's style is his choice of music. The movie has an impressive indie rock soundtrack, including songs by The Shins, Coldplay and Iron and Wine which really do complement the scenes well. Just as Braff was particular with his choice of actors, so did he appeal to each band whose songs came from his own personal mix tape.
Despite the film's grim premise, Garden State is decidedly light-hearted. Tonally, the movie is more pensive than tragic. Braff mulls the concept of home being more of an idea than a tangible place, as well as the vast, intimidating world in which everyone has to make decisions.
The writing is fresh, funny and touching. Zach demonstrates his philosophies on life through some inspiring dialogues; then there are the laugh-out-loud moments, like a knight literally in shining armor pouring cereal in a bowl while Large sits across from him with the name of a private part written across his forehead. Or a certain profanity used as a double entendre.
The movie is also a visual treat - with unique shots that prove it doesn't take a multimillion blow-em'-up movie to entertain.
It almost seems as if various quarterlife scenarios are displayed through exaggerated, entertaining supporting characters - a millionaire who made it rich quick then doesn't know what to do with himself other than play with fire; a bad boy who never knew what to do with himself and becomes a cop; a knight working at a theme restaurant "paying his dues" until he can move from serving to jousting.
Aside from 2 scenes - one heavy on drug use and the other pornographic in nature - this may be the closest that any movie has come to portraying the quarterlife crisis, unless those aforementioned activities are more common that one might think.
The only flaw in the film, without giving away too much, was the resolution - or lack thereof - between Large and his father, played by Ian Holm.
Braff's ability to balance the serious and the goofy is one of his greatest assets as a filmmaker. Garden State is an intelligent look at a young man at a crossroads in his life, deciding what he really wants.
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Q&A with Zach Braff
By Abby Wilner
Zach Braff - often found crashing into medical equipment and being called female names by the other doctors on Scrubs - exposes his serious side.
At a roundtable on the release of his new movie, Zach talked about his life as a twentysomething and as a newcomer to the directing world. He seems to have an experienced perspective on both.
The movie, based on Braff's own quarterlife crisis, is a pure joy to watch - the kind of movie you wish came along more often. His qlc-related thoughts follow.
On the QLC
A: Did you ever have a quarterlife crisis?
Z: This whole movie's about my quarterlife crisis! I remember thinking when I first heard about the book, "wow, that's an awesome articulation of life as a twentysomething"; I'd never heard that before so I quote it all the time.
A: So, did you write the movie before you got the part in Scrubs?
Z: Yeah, well particularly from 22-28, I'd feel really "in it" as we say in the movie - really "in the shit," trying to paddle myself above water, I was just feeling really lost and depressed, and I got a big break with Scrubs in 2001. The first thing I did was quit my waiting tables job, which - by the way, that conversation in the restaurant was verbatim something that was said to me - so I quit my waiting tables job, and the next day found out we wouldn't be shooting Scrubs for 4 months, and I like to keep busy and thought I would go crazy just sitting and watching tv so I said "I gotta write this," even getting the show didn't really put me out of the depression I was in. So I just sat down and wrote for 4 months straight, and that was the first draft of Garden State.
A: And do you feel like writing the movie helped you get through your qlc?
Z: I did, but I think people who are prone to go through a quarterlife crisis are prone to be dealing with these same issues their whole lives. I feel like life goes in waves. The way I describe it is it's like being long overdue for the next chapter of your life to open up, I think everyone can relate to that, life is a series of beginnings and changes, and then there's times in your life where you're like "I am so due for an epiphany, I am so due for something new to happen to me, a new girl, a new job, an epiphany, somebody please send me an epiphany." And this is somebody [Large] who's like 15 years overdue for an epiphany, for a new chapter to start in his life.
I took a lot of character traits from people in my life, like I had a buddy who would shoot arrows in the air and thought that was the funniest thing in the world - not on fire, but he did have a joint dangling from his mouth. I started writing this during the dot com phase when you'd open up the paper and find out about kids making 100 million dollars, I always thought that the whole plan in our society is to get a job, get educated so I can make enough money to start a family, have kids, send them to college and retire - that's all programmed out for you. But what if you're 23 years old and make 100 million dollars - you must be really confused because what the hell do you do with your life? I created this character who was completely confused and just bored to death, just so happened he stumbled on 100 million bucks. Couldn't even get himself to buy furniture because that seemed boring.
I never saw a movie that talked honestly about what I was going through, I saw a whole lot of movies marketed towards twentysomethings. I'm not talking about having sex with a pie - that did huge business with twentysomethings, and don't get me wrong I love silly movies, but that's what I feel is most often marketed to my demographic and it's been a while with the exception of Lost in Translation that I can remember a movie that said, here's what it feels like honestly to be a twentysomething. I wasn't trying to speak for a generation, I was not nearly that cocky or thinking I know the answers, I just wanted to write about what I was feeling and thought there have to be other people who can relate. So that's what I set out to do in the spirit of those movies, write something that was really personal, about me in my twenties.
On chasing his dreams
"Even with a hit show on TV and Natalie Portman signed on, it seemed like every single person in Hollywood was passing on the movie. It was damn difficult...you have to really persevere, a whole lot of doors close in your face. Scrubs got me in the door, got the script to the top of the pile but didn't necessarily sell the movie. But if you believe in what you're making and have a passion, all you need is access to the right people. It's like being a salesman, enrolling them in your passion.
Movie making is my real passion, my dream, I went to school to be a film director. I took a detour by taking acting jobs in New York, which I loved doing and made more money than trying to climb the ladder as a PA on a Mariah Carey video."
On life
"I once read a quote, I forgot who said it - that life is way too important to take too seriously, and I've always had that taped to my desk, and it always reminds me of how fast life goes and how whenever you start attaching so much meaning to everything and creating all this drama that it was best to strive to laugh it off. And Sam (Portman) wasn't saying she was great at that, she was saying "Do I cry? Of course I cry. Do I have pain? Of course I have pain. But at the end of the day I just try and laugh because it's silly to take anything too seriously."
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