Braff demonstrates a weird visual flair, but his smug script collapses into contrivance before Andrew touches bottom.
Comment
08/07/04
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Garden State (2004)
86
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:181
Fresh:155
Rotten:26
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Charmingly warm-hearted and quirky.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Jul 30, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $26,706,668
Synopsis: Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) shuffled through life in a lithium-induced coma until his mother's death inspired a vacation from the pills to see what might happen. A moderately successful TV actor... [More]
Starring: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, Peter Sarsgaard
Director: Zach Braff
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Reviews for Garden State
There is a little unevenness. But for a directorial debut, it's amazingly assured.
08/06/04
Top CriticFeatures some wonderful performances, chief among them an engaging, even courageous turn from Natalie Portman.
08/06/04
It steals shamelessly from The Graduate without indicating a whit of appreciation for the earlier film.
08/06/04
Top CriticIt has an askew sense of humor that's grounded in honest observation.
08/06/04
Top CriticWorth seeing for some funny, insightful writing, and some nice character work from the cast.
08/06/04
There's a lot to like about Garden State, which, as romantic comedy goes, manages to be both very funny and essentially sweet-natured. It's daffy.
08/06/04
A standard issue, first-movie navel-gaze whose cobwebs Braff meticulously sweeps away by directing the bejesus out of it.
08/06/04
Top CriticA comedy with so many moments of found insight and irony that it can scarcely contain them all.
08/06/04
Top CriticIt's smart and unconventional, with a good eye for the perfect detail.
08/06/04
Top CriticAlmost every scene comes with some sweet surprise, something wonderful and memorable, even at the funeral of a family hamster.
08/06/04
One of the smarter examples of the form.
08/06/04
Top CriticHas incidental pleasures, but it's no cinematic Eden...a picture with nice moments that never connect into an especially enlightening or compelling whole.
08/06/04
A compulsive liar and non-stop chatterbox, Sam (Natalie Portman) is hands down the most appealing character in "Garden State," and Portman runs away with the movie.
08/05/04
Garden State, Zach Braff's lyrical directorial debut, self-consciously announces itself as a baby buster generational marker -- and richly deserves the designation.
08/05/04
Top CriticIt's the little moments that make Zach Braff's directorial debut a mesmerizing and emotional viewing.
08/05/04
Braff, now a proven triple-threat, is blessed with his own comic chops, an eye for the small details of regular life and a simple, straightforward directorial style.
08/05/04
Braff keeps us engaged with a visual flair that indicates a bright future.
08/05/04
A seductive, genuine, and ultimately heartbreaking comedy.
08/03/04
[A] very good film.
08/02/04
Top CriticLatest News for Garden State
May 10, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: "28 Weeks Later" and "Georgia Rule" To Battle For #2 Spot
In what must be a first at the box office, an aerobics queen takes on killer zombies in a vicious battle for the silver medal during what no doubt will be another mammoth... More...
August 31, 2006:
Box Office Preview: "Crank" Closes Up Summer Movie Season
The summer movie season comes to an official end with the Labor Day holiday weekend unleashing three new releases plus the national expansion of a fourth. More...
August 14, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Talladega Nights" Stays #1, "Step Up" Surprises
Despite a pair of newcomers close behind in its rearview mirror, Will Ferrell's hit comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby finished in first place for the second... More...
March 02, 2006:
Dr. Dorian Prepares for "Open Hearts"
"Scrubs" star Zach Braff, who made quite the impression with his debut movie, "Garden State," has chosen his second directorial project: a remake of the 2003... More...
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