The film follows television bit part actor Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) as he returns to his small home town in New Jersey to attend his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
Mr. Braff, Ms. Portman, Mr. Sarsgaard and Mr. Holm never strike a false note as a remarkably coherent acting ensemble, and it is good to see Ron Leibman again in the small role of Doctor Cohen.
It's no longer a generational alarm clock, but for those who've seen loved ones stumble through complacent fogs of Paxil, Zoloft and the like, "Garden State" still warns that "stability" doesn't mean a numbness to anything not emotionally even-keeled.
Garden State may not define an entire generation, but it has a sharp eye for the passive aimlessness that can take hold when young adults realize there's no handbook on how to find purpose and meaning in life.
Common Sense Media
December 24, 2010
Smart drama for mature older teens and up.
Orlando Sentinel
August 20, 2004
Cleverly written, sensitively directed and very well-acted.
Seattle Times
August 13, 2004
His movie is sweet-natured and skillful, but its biggest problem is perhaps one Braff wasn't prepared to deal with: his own performance -- or, more accurately, the decision to place a deliberately flat performance at the film's heart.
Actor Zach Braff (NBC's "Scrubs") makes an impressive if unsatisfying writing and directing debut with a plaintive post-modern drama that relies on unspoken dry wit to entertain its audience (think a cross between "Harold and Maude" and "The Graduate").
