Garden State - Movie Review

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of watching the excellent movie, Garden State.

Zach Braff has written and directed, as well as starred in the lead role. Zach is more popularly known as the funny lead character in one of my favorite television comedies, Scrubs. Garden State is a much appreciated movie, causing lot of people to eagerly anticipate Zach's next movie, which is not out yet.

Garden State is the story of a depressed, struggling 26-year-old actor from Los Angeles, going back home and finding his real home. It is a representation of the popular saying, "Home is where the heart is." Zach Braff plays the role of Andrew, a struggling and depressed actor in Los Angeles (his regular job seems to be that of a not-so-good waiter at a restaurant), who goes back home to a small town in New Jersey, to attend his mother's funeral. He has not been home for 9 years, and we learn that he has been in medication prescribed by his psychologist father since the age of 9 or so, when he accidentally caused his mother to be paralyzed from the waist-down. Back in his hometown, he goes off the medication and catches up with his highschool buddies, each of whom is quirky and funny. Along the way, he runs into sweet, cheerful and lying Samantha, played wonderfully by Natalie Portman. It is with her that Andrew discovers the precious feeling of truly coming home, finding peace, contentment, acceptance and love.

I have always liked movies which handle depressing plots/characters in comic ways. Garden State has become my favorite movie in that genre. It strikes a great balance between depression and comedy, without overdoing either one. Through most of the movie, you feel the lead character Andrew's quiet, desperate, depression, even as you laugh at all the other quirky characters (mostly his highschool friends), their silly lines and the funny scenes. Natalie Portman's portrayal of Samantha, who brings Andrew out of his depression and helps him discover love, by doing nothing more than being her naive, silly, cheerful self was utterly convincing.

There were some weird-interesting-funny scenes in the movie like the one where Andrew's shirt perfectly matches the bathroom walls, a family dog masturbates and there is a hall-way in a hotel from which perverts peep on hotel guests. Two of my favorite scenes from the movie:

• There is the opening scene which shows the inside of a crashing plane, with everybody close to panic, but Andrew is totally calm while a mellifluous voice chants a Sanskrit prayer in the background.
• Then there is the scene where Andrew, his highschool buddy Mark and Samantha stand at the edge of cliff which falls into a deep dark canyon and shout their hearts out. That scene is symbolic if Andrew's life at that point of time - his future is dark, deep and unknown, which could hold horrors or treasures, but the shout that comes of his heart while he stands at its edge is one of venting, relief and elation, all mixed together.

But its the final scene which ties it all together: having come to his old home, having discovered a new home for his heart, and standing at the edge of the unknown, will Andrew succumb to his doubts and fears and run away, or will he choose to stay, and nurture his new-found home and love? You will have to watch the movie to find out for yourself.


Official movie site: http://www.gardenstatemovie.com.