Garden State (2004)

Garden State

I've never been very high on the Zach Braff fan club listings, and he didn't exactly change my mind with this movie either. Still. Unlike other places I've seen him, this is a role he understands. Of course he should, as he's also the writer and director of this baby.

This movie has enough of a plot to keep in people who felt Dazed and Confused were a little to focused on the feel alone. Yet. Garden State have much of the same excellent qualities that sets that movie apart from the masses. It brings you into the moments, it capture both the lead and the support characters well and it's got a wide emotional range.

Not to mention a Natalie Portman shining. She was excellent in this one, even by her standards. There's several moments in this movie where I'd like to grab her character out of the scene and cherish her for ever. An absolutely stunning performance.

Another huge contributor is the music. It's impossible to overlook the moods the soundtrack of this movie helps presenting. I'm not convinced any of them will change your life, like Portman's character speaks about a The Shins song, but several of the songs should at least brighten your days.

There's a couple of weaker scenes and choices in direction, but I still can't wait to watch this again thanks to the overall feel. It'll be interesting to observe if it might actually even improve then, because this is exactly the kind of movie that have done so in my past.