CATRIONA PAUL at the Movies.

IF YOU ARE in need of a charming, off-beat romance then Garden State is the perfect time-out this blustery, grey December. Written and directed by Zach Braff, star of Channel 4’s Scrubs, this American indie debut has done wonders for the actor’s credibility, moving audiences both here and stateside.
  
It tells the story of Andrew Largeman, a 26 year old actor who returns home from L.A. after an absence of ten years, when his paraplegic mother dies unexpectedly. Home is New Jersey, the “garden state”, but little is rosy on his arrival. He chooses the trip to make a life-altering decision – to come off the anti-depressants prescribed by his father, (Ian Holm), since his teen years.
 
As the drugs wear off (remarkably, without side effects), Largeman wakes up to the emotional side of life in the company of Mark (Peter Sarsgaard), a buddy from school who now digs graves, and Samantha (Natalie Portman), a young girl suffering from epilepsy whom he meets at the doctor’s. Together, they muddle through four days of funerals and parties, until Largeman confronts both his father and his feelings for Sam.
  
The film ambles through, taking time to build characters and introduce the weirdness of Largeman’s hometown. Braff is an endearing, unconventional lead and Portman, once she stops shouting over her walkman, seems a good match. Their courtship is appealing in a contrary but unpretentious way and when Mark leads them on a quest on Largeman’s last day in town, a momentum and oddity is achieved, fulfilling early promise. Largeman’s reckoning with his father may get buried in favour of his new-found love but the switch of emphasis leaves audiences with a warm glow rather than the ring of harsh words.
  
Scotland’s gloomy enough at this time of year. All those in favour of quirky-meets-happy-ending, go see Garden State.

GARDEN STATE

Director: Zach Braff
Writer: Zach Braff
Stars: Zach Braff, Ian Holm, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Jackie Hoffman, Alex Burns, Michael Weston
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 109 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2004
 

© Catriona Paul, 2004