Garden State starring Zach Braff, Ian
Holm, Ron Liebman, Method Man,
Natalie Portman
Great Movie
9.6 THE FILM ITSELF
8.1 VISUALS
9.5 SOUND
8.5 PACKAGING
7.5 EXTRAS
Let's state the facts: This is not Zach Braff from Scrubs. On that show, he
plays J.D., here he plays Andrew Largeman. They're two entirely different
characters and these are two entirely different comedies. They may both
have heart, jokes and serious moments, but I know some people will just
not accept that Zach Braff has made a (mostly) serious film that centers
around a man finally learning to feel.
All I'll say to the plot is simply that Andrew Largeman (Braff) comes home
from L.A. after a family accident, and while home he spends time with
some new and old people from his past. And his time spent with these
people allow him to begin to feel again (that and leaving his medication at
home helps) and be a whole person. Sounds heavy, does it? Well, it is. But
there is also some great humor here. But again, not Scrubs humor at all,
but humor on a completely different level, and it's genious.
8.1 VISUALS
For being a low-budget indie flick, it certainly doesn't look the part.
Granted, the film is just focusing on people, very little special effects and
this is certainly not an action film at all, but the nice mixture of colors
makes for an enjoyable visual.
9.5 SOUND
Garden State boasts one of the best soundtrack in film history. It's not just
me saying that, Braff won a Grammy for his stellar selection of tunes here.
And it really makes the film that much more enjoyable.
8.5 PACKAGING
Arriving to DVD in a standard case, I love the cover and the quiet main
menu with a great song. Options are easy to read and the screen is easy
to navigate and really prepares you for the film.
7.5 EXTRAS
Garden State comes with two commentaries. Both have Braff, and one is
just him and Natalie Portman. Both are pretty good and Braff offers some
great dialogue and some hilarious stories about filming. The other
commentary is very detailed based on making the film.
16 Deleted scenes with optional commentary are also included. Total time
for deleted scenes is about 42 minutes and some of them are pretty great.
Commentary isn't really necessary.
"The Making of Garden State" is a short look at the behind the scenes of
the film, lightly touching on topics such as the boat and the pool. Some
characters and creators make comments about the filming.
"Outtakes / Bloopers" round out the set. There's not much here, but decent
nonetheless.
FINAL VERDICT
Garden State is essentially a simple love story. But, it's so much more than
that. Girls will be able to fall in love with the simple tale, but guys will also
be able to enjoy it without having the love story slammed down their
throats. The commentaries are also a fun listen and are the most enjoyable
of the special features.
9.2/10 "OUTSTANDING"
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