Garden State (film)

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{{Infobox Film

 | name = Garden State
 | image = Garden State Poster.jpg
 | caption = Garden State Theatrical Poster
 | imdb_rating = Image:4 out of 5.png 
8.0/10 (42,162 votes) |
 | director = Zach Braff
 | producer = Pamela Abdy
Gary Gilbert
Dan Halsted
 | writer = Zach Braff
 | starring = Zach Braff
Natalie Portman
Peter Sarsgaard
Ian Holm
 | distributor = Fox Searchlight
Miramax Films
 | released = July 28, 2004
 | runtime = 102 minutes
 | language = English
 | budget = $2.5 million USD
 | imdb_id = 0333766

}} Garden State is a 2004 film written and directed by and starring Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and co-starring Sir Ian Holm. The film's title is a reference to the film's main setting and primary shooting location, New Jersey.

The film centers on Andrew Largeman (Braff), a twenty-something actor who returns to his hometown in New Jersey for the first time in nine years, after receiving word from his father (Holm) that his mother has died. He reconnects with his friend Mark (Sarsgaard), now a gravedigger, at his mother's funeral. Largeman gets reaquainted with other old friends, all the time avoiding his father. While in the waiting room of a doctor's office, Largeman meets a local girl, Sam (Portman), and the two cautiously initiate a relationship.

It was filmed over 25 days in April and May 2003 and released on July 28, 2004. It was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. The film won Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards.

1 Plot summary
2 Cast
3 Reception
4 Music
5 Awards and nominations
6 Film locations
7 DVD release
8 See also
9 Notes
10 External links

[edit]

Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film opens with an airplane going down. Andrew Largeman sits still, staring into space, despite the panic that is happening around him. The scene fades into Andrew’s room, as he awakes from the dream. His room is seemingly blank, characterised by white walls and sheets, and his lack of personal belongings. A telephone call diverts to Andrew's machine, where his father, in some distress, tells Andrew that his mother has just passed away, and that he needs to return home. No response is shown in Andrew as the message finishes. Image:Garden state image.jpg After finishing at his workplace, the struggling actor leaves Los Angeles and returns home to the state of New Jersey. At his mother's funeral, Andrew stands away from the main ceremony, watching from the side. At the end he greets some nearby gravediggers, whom he recognizes from his past. He explains to them that his mother just died and that he is in town for a couple of days. The workers, Mark and Dave, invite him to a party that night. Returning to his old house, Andrew talks briefly with his estranged father. He tells his father of his random headaches and gets booked a doctor's appointment. He also speaks with other guests from the funeral, some who treat him with a degree of pessimism, as his absence has spanned a decade. Later that night Andrew discovers his old motorcycle, complete with sidecar, and proceeds to ride around the quiet streets of his old town. That is, until he is pulled over by a policeman, who actually turns out to be another old friend, Kenny, much to his surprise. Andrew proceeds to the party where he meets up with Mark, as well as several of his other old friends.

After spending the night at the party, Andrew awakes at Mark's house. He soon proceeds to his doctor's appointment. While in the waiting room, another patient's dog starts rubbing against his leg. An onlooker, Sam, giggles at at him, before she offers her help to pursuade the dog to leave. Sam says that she recognizes him from television, and Andrew talks with her briefly before he is called in for his appointment. Andrew informs the doctor that he left his medication back in Los Angeles, but turns down the opportunity for a new prescription, hinting that he may not even have a real need for the drugs. Image:Garden State fox searchlight.jpgAndrew finds Sam outside the practice. It turns out that her boyfriend is not picking her up and she was not waiting for a friend, which she previously claimed. Andrew offers to drive her home on his motorcycle. On the way he asks Sam if she will accompany him to Jesse's mansion, so that he does not have to stay for too long. After departing from Jesse's place, the pair head back to Sam's, where she soon admits that she doesn’t even have a boyfriend, perhaps feeling guilty about lying, Andrew is invited in and meets Sam's family. The pair get to know each other more, and he accompanies her to bury her dead pet hamster, where he tells Sam about his own mother's recent funeral. After returning home, Andrew is confronted by his father, who is insistent that they have a talk before Andrew leaves town. Andrew goes and waits with Jesse, as Mark finishes work, he watches Mark as he removes jewelry from a grave whilst burying.

Andrew returns to Sam's house, he watches her youth iceskating video at her mother's request. It is then revealed that Sam has some form of epilepsy. Andrew and Sam retreat to a bar, where they further bond until they are interrupted by Mark, Dave and Jesse, which sees the group end up swimming at Jesse's mansion with a group of other friends. It turns out that Andrew cannot actually swim, so Sam stays with him in the shallower end. At the fireplace, Andrew reveals to Sam, Mark and Jesse why he was sent to boarding school during his youth: frustrated that he could not make his mother happy, he pushed her when he was a child. In a freak accident, she ended up in a wheelchair, as she fell back onto a dishwasher door, which was open because of a faulty latch. Jesse and Mark soon leave to attend to a girl, leaving Andrew and Sam by the fireplace, where he soon admits he likes her.

Image:Garden state screenshot.jpgThe next day, Mark tells Andrew that he tracking down a going away present for him, but needs him as a means of transport to get it, but as Andrew was going to spend the day with Sam, she comes along as well. Mark goes into a store, where he gets a set of knives off the shelf, and returns them, claiming he got them as a gift, thus claiming free money. The journey then leads to a seedy hotel where Mark gets some directions from another person. The trio end up at a colourful quarry in Newark. Rain starts to pour down; Mark then leads the group to a little houseboat stationed on the top of the quarry. It turns out there was going to be a mall built on the land, until a canyon like area was discovered, the inhabitants, whom have been employed to watch the area are also casual antique jewelry collectors. Mark collects the piece. All three begin to head back, but Andrew spontaneously climbs to the top of an abdanoned piece of machinery and screams down into the quarry, Sam and Mark then join him, the three scream together down into the quarry. Sam and Andrew then kiss each other. As they reach Mark’s home, he hands Andrew the piece, which turns out to be his mother's old favourite piece of jewelry. Andrew and Sam retreat to his house, where they spend the night together. Andrew gets up out of bed and approaches his father to finally have their talk.

The morning after, Andrew is saying his goodbyes to Sam at the airport, as he prepares to return to Los Angeles, despite Sam's pleading with him not to go. Andrew tries to explain that he is not ending the relationship but has to return to Los Angeles to figure things out, but Sam starts to cry. Andrew tells Sam that she has changed his life, and that this is the beginning of something really big, he kisses her and departs. Andrew takes his seat on the plane, Sam is in a phonebooth crying by herself when Andrew returns to her, he tells her that he does not want to waste anymore of his life without her, the couple hold each other and kiss.

Template:Endspoiler

[edit]

Cast

Garden State marked Zach Braff’s feature directing and writing debut. He was previously most well known for his role as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian in the television show Scrubs. The film was written in bits and pieces during Braff's college years and it was not until 2000 that he began piecing them together. This process took three months, during which Braff wrote intensively. Although some of story seems too odd to be true, Braff claimed that about 80% of the film is based on true experiences, both his and other peoples'.

Natalie Portman was Braff's first choice for the female lead but he thought he would never get her. It was announced in early March that Portman would be starring in the then-titled Large's Ark. Portman plays the character Samantha, who meets Andrew Largeman while they wait inside a clinic. Peter Sarsgaard, who received praise for his roles in Boys Don't Cry and Shattered Glass, plays Mark, a hometown friend Largeman gets reacquainted with.

Ian Holm plays Andrew’s father Gideon Largeman. The film also stars Jean Smart as Mark’s mother, Armando Riesco as Andrew's overnight-millionaire friend Jesse, Michael Weston as Kenny, an old acquaintance-turned-cop, Ron Leibman, Method Man, Ato Essandoh and Jackie Hoffman.

[edit]

Reception

The film was first screened on January 16, 2004, at the Sundance Film Festival, upon release at Sundance, the film was purchased in a joint venture by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Miramax for US$5 million, double the budget of $2.5 million which had been financed by Gary Gilbert. Fox Searchlight Pictures president Peter Rice said of the film, "Having enjoyed the film immensely, we look forward to working with Miramax to bring Garden State to audiences worldwide".<ref name="sundance">Template:Cite web</ref> From March until mid July, it screened at other various film festivals, until it received a limited release on July 28 in the North America. From late 2004 through to mid 2005, Garden State was shown at more festivals and released in over another 30 countries. Despite having a limited release in all its markets, the film was able to gather $35,825,316 at the worldwide box office.

Upon release, the film drew comparisons with the The Graduate. Premiere Magazine writer Peter Debruge wrote that "Not since "The Graduate" has a movie nailed the beautiful terror of standing on the brink of adulthood with such satisfying precision".<ref name="debruge">Template:Cite web</ref> Garden State would form a special relationship with members of the generation Y,<ref name="savlov">Template:Cite web</ref> though some were critical of the film being target-specific. Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald, taking a less fanatic approach, wrote that "[The film] may not define an entire generation, but it has a sharp eye for the passive aimlessness that can take hold when young adults realize there's no handbook on how to find purpose and meaning in life".<ref name="rodriguez">Template:Cite web</ref>

After its limited release in theatres, the film gained more popularity during its DVD release, which had a wider market. The film by this point had become well known due to its review and soundtrack praise. The film was released into the home entertainment market in January of 2005, it held a position on the outskirts of the top ten rentals for its opening weeks.<ref name="rentals">Template:Cite web</ref>

[edit]

Music

Template:Further Image:Garden State soundtrack poster.jpg

The music that accompanied the film was hand picked by Zach Braff. Commenting on the selections, Braff said that "Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay".<ref name="music">Template:Cite web</ref> The film's budget limitations meant that obtaining all the songs Braff wanted for the film proved difficult. Though, Zach Braff felt that the soundtrack was so integral to the script, he sent a copy of it with every script he sent out.

The music in the film features a number of indie-rock artists, notably The Shins. In an early scene, Sam passes Andrew a headset which is playing the song "New Slang" by The Shins as she says "You gotta hear this one song - it'll change your life." A second Shins song, "Caring Is Creepy," is also featured on the soundtrack. The presence of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy in New York" on the soundtrack has been cited by some as evidence of another connection to The Graduate.

Commenting on the soundtrack's importance to the film, Sponic Zine wrote "Braff did a masterful job of choosing songs that exemplified the emotional subtleties in the film...he put together a group of songs that complement each other perfectly and, when put together into one album, create something amazing, almost as if they never should have been apart"<ref name="sponic">Template:Cite web</ref>

Zach Braff accepted a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The films trailer won an award for best music in at the Golden Trailer Awards. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated it for best soundtrack.

[edit]

Awards and nominations

The film won the following awards:

Year	Award	Category - Recipient(s)
2005	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best New Director - Zach Braff
2005	Florida Film Critics Circle	Pauline Kael Breakout Award — Zach Braff
2005	Grammy Award	Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media — Zach Braff
2005	Independent Spirit Awards	Best First Feature — Zach Braff, Pamela Abdy, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted and Richard Klubeck
2004	National Board of Review of Motion Pictures	Best Debut Director — Zach Braff
2005	Phoenix Film Critics Society	Breakout of the Year - Behind the Camera — Zach Braff

The film was nominated for the following awards:

Year	Award	Category - Recipient(s)
2005	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Best Soundtrack
2005	Empire Movie Awards	Best Newcomer — Zach Braff
2005	Independent Spirit Awards	Best First Screenplay — Zach Braff
2005	MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakthrough Male Performance — Zach Braff
		Best Female Performance — Natalie Portman
		Best Kiss — Natalie Portman and Zach Braff
2004	Sundance Film Festival	Grand Jury Prize — Zach Braff
2005	Independent Spirit Awards	Best First Screenplay — Zach Braff
2005	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor: Drama — Zach Braff
		Choice Movie Actress: Drama — Natalie Portman
		Choice Movie Blush Scene — Zach Braff (Andrew and the overly affectionate dog)
		Choice Movie Breakout Performance - Male — Zach Braff
		Choice Movie Liar — Natalie Portman
		Choice Movie Liplock — Natalie Portman and Zach Braff
		Choice Movie Love Scene — Natalie Portman and Zach Braff
		Choice Movie: Drama
2005	Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen — Zach Braff
2005	Young Artist Awards	Best Family Feature: Drama

[edit]

Film locations

Most of the film was shot in Braff's home state of New Jersey — however various shots were also done in New York and Los Angeles. The opening restaurant sequence, which is supposed to take place in L.A., was actually filmed at the Thai restaurant "SEA" in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

New Jersey