Andrew McMurtryREVIEW: Garden State (2004)
December 18th 2008 02:25
Anyway, “Garden State” is a fantastic film. It is all about perception and uniqueness. It is brilliantly acted in an understated yet quirky way. The soundtrack is fantastic, if not the best I have heard on any movie. It is about relationships, and the idea of love and family as being the security blanket of “home”. It is a great theory and summation of these fundamental ideas in life.
The story of “Garden State” begins with Andrew ‘Large’ Largeman (Zach Braff) on a plane which is going to crash. Chaos takes hold of the cabin and everyone is screaming. Except Large. He sits calmly and adjusts the air above him. I think this is a great way to open the film. Even though you find this is just a dream, it is a creative way to show that his life is a train wreck. Large, who is a heavily medicated actor in Los Angeles, is called back to his hometown of Newark after his mother dies. Deciding against his psychologist father’s advice, he decides to go un-medicated for the first time in his life, believing this will help him get his live sorted out. Large seems weird when we meet him early, but compared to old friends he comes across when he goes home, Large seems to be the most normal character. He meets a seemingly strange girl named Sam (Natalie Portman) in a doctor’s waiting room. What begins as a friendship becomes a relationship when Large realises that Sam makes him feel “safe, like I’m home”.
“Garden State” raises several ideas on the concept of home and family as the following quote from Large shows:
“You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of the sudden even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone…When you move out it just sort of happens one day and it's just gone. And you can never get it back. It's like you get homesick for a place that doesn't exist…I miss the idea of it. Maybe that's all family really is; a group of people who miss the same imaginary place.”
It also has a unique view on unconditional love:
“You know, this necklace makes me think of this totally random memory of my mother. I was a little kid, and I was crying for one reason or another. And she was cradling me, rocking me back and forth, and I can just remember the silver balls rolling around. And there was like snot running down my nose. And she offered me her sleeve and told me to blow my nose into it. And I can remember, even as a little kid, thinking to myself, this is love...this is love.”
This idea of the love that your parents give you, as in the simple things like blowing your nose when you’re little, is a very good concept. I have never really thought of it like that but it is true. Your parents will generally do anything for you but the simple things that they do really show the love. The juxtaposition of his happy reminiscence of his mother with the dysfunctional relationship with his father eventually leads to the confrontation between Large and his father which is alluded to through the whole movie. Large finally confronts his father about meddling in his life in search of a preconceived notion of happiness in their family.
“You've always said that all you wanted was for us to have whatever it is we wanted, right? Well, maybe, what Mom wanted more then anything is for it to all be over, and for me, what I want more then anything in the world, is for it to be okay with you for me to feel something again, even if it's pain…We may not be as happy as you always dreamed we would be, but for the first time let's just allow ourselves to be whatever it is we are and that will be better.”
This film is an entertaining walk through the ideas that enter our minds when we are actually allowed to think. While maybe a bit philosophical, it makes you think about all the ideas that make us unique. For Large it was his idea of happiness, his idea of love and his concept of security that keeps us engaged and interested in his story. Zach Braff has written a great screenplay and directed the film brilliantly. For a person who has written, directed and starred in a film of this quality, he should be applauded. The actors that surround him are also brilliant as Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm as well as the millionaire friend Jessie, played by Armando Riesco, all make this film better and add to the story. The best sequence in this film are of Large’s final day in Newark, although the whole film is great. The soundtrack is also something else. Brilliant tracks from artists such as the Cary Brothers, Colin Hay, Coldplay and the Shins help add to this film, making it better than it already is.
As you can tell, I adore this film. It may not be a film that you will watch very often but this is refreshing. It is not a purely escapist film. It has just the right amount of quirk and black comedy to make it popular but also makes you think and deals with philosophical issues. Its ideas are very refreshing in this day and age of the clouded concept of love and a home as a possession rather than a safe place. It is wonderfully directed and written as well as acted. Zach Braff should be applauded for his work in this film. It is a great achievement for a young filmmaker and deserves to be remembered. I’d give this movie 5 out of 5. I feel everything came together in this film. Brilliant writing, directing and acting all make this film one of the best that I have seen.
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