5 A
Monday, August 30, 2004
Garden State
Starring Zach Bra ft
Natalie Port man &
Peter Sarsgaard
Fox Searchlight
Pictures
One could easily com-
)are “Garden State,”
ecently released in the-
iters, to “Scrubs” on
5 rozac. “Garden State”
;hares brief sprouts of
ibsurdity and whim with
‘Scrubs,” an NBC sit
com starring the film’s
writer/director/actor
£ach Braff, but instead
of a laugh-a-minute situ
ational comedy, “Gar
den State” relies on a
delayed pace. “Garden
State” uses a mixture
of dry, dark humor that
will leave audiences si
multaneously reflecting
on their own lives while
laughing at the film’s re
served comedy.
Further comparison
of “Scrubs” and “Garden State” could be easily
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
Moderately successful TV actor and lithium-addict "Large” (Braff) finds him
self unexpectedly in his hometown and discovers Sam (Portman) by a twist
of fate in the Braff-directed “Garden State.”
done, but it would be a disservice to the talented
draff, who has unleashed an impressive directo
rial debut.
Instead of “Scrubs,” “Garden State” has more
in common with the 1967 classic “The Graduate.”
Featuring two overwhelmed heroes attempting to
E igure out where their lives have left to go, both
ilms resonate the era’s mood. In today’s over-
medicated, oversensitive, overanxious lifestyle,
Andrew Bargeman (Braff) emerges as an unlikely
spokesman for his generation.
Braff created for himself a plumb role with
Largeman, a lethargic would-be actor (his one big
role being that of a “retarded quarterback”) churn
ing out a living in a monochromatic Los Angeles,
existing only with the usage of a multitude of me
dicinal downers.
When called upon to return home to New Jersey
for his mother’s funeral, he attempts to reconnect
with a life that escaped him long ago. Largeman
meanders through the film with a dazed look that
hints at the emotions trapped beneath the drug-in
duced waking coma he has been trapped in by his
psychiatrist father.
While in the Garden State, Largeman is reunited
with friends and acquaintances from his youth.
The people he encounters and the misadventures
he wanders into will lead audiences to suspect
New Jersey to be a proverbial cornucopia of oddi
ties and miscreants.
Peter Sarsgaard excels in a nuance-filled perfor
mance as Mark, a childhood-chum-turned-grave
digger, who lives a Jerry Springer-approved life
style, alternately trading time between his three
hobbies: collecting unusual “investments” (Gulf
War trading cards among them), taking hits off his
trusty bong and trading insults with his mother’s
boyfriend, an armored clad employee of a Medi
eval Times-themed restaurant. Natalie Portman
plays Sam, a stranger who quickly evolves into
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Bargeman’s love interest. Portman’s portrayal of
Sam should not work (the relationship is rushed
and the wackiness of her performance is in direct
conflict with the film’s main tone), yet by the end
of the film, there is a distinct chemistry between
the actors, which creates an organic relationship
that helps Largeman to come to terms with his life.
Sam is a shining source of light that takes the bad
with the good and is able to laugh at her life no
matter what is thrown her way.
Bargeman’s apathetic views are met and bal
anced with Sam’s unusual childhood filled with
a Pet Cemetery in her backyard, Sally Struthers’
adopt-a-child hotlines, ice-skating alligators and a
dual case of epilepsy and compulsive lying.
Ian Holm offers an all too brief portrayal as
Bargeman’s controlling psychiatrist/father. His
role is small but is the driving force behind the
film, compelling Largeman to seek some kind of
peace for himself away from the drugs his father
has prescribed to him since he was 10 years old.
Alternately hilarious and insightful, the film is
far from perfect. Braff attempts to strike a new ca
reer for himself in dramatic roles but cannot com
pletely leave behind his career in broad comedy.
Several outrageous moments sprinkled throughout
the film seem almost out of place, but at the same
time offer a well-meaning chuckle dropped into
what some may find to be a monotonous movie.
Toward the end of the film, Braff falls upon a
tendency to beat the story’s message into audienc
es’ minds with several all-too-obvious metaphors
and symbols. After the fifth comparison of Barge
man’s life to the infinite abyss the film’s characters
discover, audiences will have gotten the director’s
message. Nobody must have told Braff that less
is more when it comes to subtle themes, and he
instead proclaims the film’s final message so loud
Helen Keller will have heard it in her grave. The
film’s ending seems forced and overly Hollywood,
yet is a crowd-pleaser.
Time will eventually tell whether the film lives
up the shadows it has placed itself under in its self
comparison to “The Graduate.” Highly entertain
ing, “Garden State” is a wonderful break from the
high-octane summer flicks and the horror movies
of the fall.
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