NoFace for Film

Title: Garden State
Year: 2004
Director: Zach Braff
Starring Cast: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard
Rated: R

NoFace for Film rating: 2.5 out of 7

I don’t quite understand what the thing is with comedians doing super serious roles. You have Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love, and Zach Braff, in the movie I’m reviewing today. Yes, I get that they sometimes feel that they need to show the public that they’re not just a one-trick pony, that they can really act. And yes, some comedians actually manage to cross over into serious actor territory, with Tom Hanks being the best example. I mean seriously- who would have thought that a guy who used to dress up in women’s clothes for laughs would earn two Academy Awards and be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood?

But see, even when he was trying to prove himself as a “serious actor”, Tom Hanks didn’t do a lot of pathetic and morose characters. His dying AIDS patient character in Philidelphia had more personality and a sense of humor than Jim Carrey’s lame character in Eternal Sunshine, for example. I wish comedians would understand that taking on more serious roles doesn’t mean that they have to take on a character who never smiles throughout the whole movie. Braff unfortunately fell in this trap.

Garden State marks Braff’s first stint as a writer and director. It focuses on Andrew Largeman (Braff), a struggling actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey (hence the movie’s title) for his mother’s funeral. Two things are established early on. The first is that Andrew is clearly suffering from some type of depression. The second is that it has been about 10 years since he had last left his hometown. Yes, the two facts are related. During his visit, Andrew reconnects with some old high school friends, notably Mark (Sarsgaard), who is now a gravedigger. He also makes a new friend, Sam (Portman), a talkative girl with a few secrets of her own.

To be frank, I was bored with Garden State. I know it was supposed to be a “serious” movie and all, but the characters and plot were boring and depressing. The movie just lacked in substance, and it just drags. There is supposed to be a deep message about taking advantage of what life gives you and all that, but by the end of the movie I could really have cared less. I was just glad that the movie ended.

Braff’s Andrew was unbearably dry, while Portman overacted the hell out of Sam. I was so irritated by her. I couldn’t stand either of them. Sir Ian Holm (yes, Bilbo Baggins himself) seems out of place and miscasted as Andrew’s estranged father. Sarsgaard was kind of funny as Mark but overall not very interesting.

I know that Garden State has sort of a cult following, especially from long time Braff fans. Looking at the thousands of comments on his Garden State blog, you’d think that this was the greatest movie ever made. Granted, it was a decent first attempt by Braff, but I hope he learns that playing a serious character and creating a serious movie doesn’t mean that it has to be lifeless.

I’m definitely not recommending watching Garden State, unless you want to see Braff mope for an hour and a half.

Technorati Tags: Garden State, Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard