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Special Features
- 16 deleted scenes with optional commentary
- Making-of featurette
- Outtakes and bloopers
Editorial Reviews
From The New Yorker
Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff), a struggling actor, arrives in his native New Jersey with some extra baggage: his paraplegic mother has possibly committed suicide, he's been on Zoloft since forever, and his one major acting credit is as a retarded quarterback. This would be a difficult burden for any young man, let alone a début movie. But Braff, who also wrote and directed, keeps the tone light with some very funny homecoming scenes. There's a party where Large is greeted as "Jersey's De Niro," a run-in with a high-school friend turned cop, and, like a winning bass line, the smirking wit of his stoner friend Mark (Peter Sarsgaard). The movie is also lifted by the presence of Natalie Portman, perhaps the ultimate ethereal home-town girl. Braff eventually takes the movie to emotional places where only the extremely tenderhearted will follow, but there are a lot of nice moments that resonate, and a beautiful soundtrack of moody, interior music. With Ian Holm as the icy father and songs by Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Shins. -Michael Agger
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker
Product Description
Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard. After nine years of being away from home, a young, depressed Andrew returns to New Jersey after his mother's death and tries to reconnect with his overbearing father in this wacky but endearing comedy. 2004/color/103 min/R.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I found so much of this movie answered the questions i had been having in my life. It made me feel so good about what I have and ok with what I don't have. It made me see what is important in life. It sounds cliche to the maximum, but I laughed, I cried, and.....well I laughed more than I cried, but I left the theater (twice) with a complete and utter sense of awe. This is a spectacular movie.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I had never heard of that movie until recently, and I had no idea that it was both written and directed by Zach Braff. Within about 10 minutes into the movie, I knew that whomever directed this was definitely talented, and whomever had written it was equally talented. By the end of the movie and the credits, I realised who was behind all this, and I was surprised. I like Zach Braff very much for his acting, but until then it was unknown to me that the guy was so gifted behind a camera and a pen.
Even though the main plot is relatively simple, this movie has truly compelling bits of weirdness and oddities. If you're into details, you'll probably love this film as much as I do; not a second of this movie is a bore, and I'm still amazed at the tireless richness of it. The direction is splendid and the substance is pure, not to mention the soundtrack which lets you know that someone is a tasteful listener of music (that being Mr. Braff, again).
Natalie Portman is absolutely stunning in this movie. She blew my mind. I guess that seeing her as queen Amidala in Star Wars made me think she wasn't anything special as an actress, but in "Garden State", her true potential comes out shining and exploding. She truly is amazing and talented; that film totally changed my perception of her as an actress, now I know she is genuinely good. So is Braff; and the two together - well they're just a fantastic pair.
Compared to most movies, this one comes as a breath of fresh air. It's inspiring too because it does so much with "so little"; for as I said before, the details here matter. To name but a few: silent velcro, skating alligators, epilepsy security helmet, house-boat, etc.
I can't recommend this movie enough. And I can't wait for more work from Zach Braff, who I now know is very promising as a director and writer. Honestly, I put very much hope in him. I didn't see it in 2004, but if you have to see two movies from that year, they would have to be "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Garden State".
A must see.
Even though the main plot is relatively simple, this movie has truly compelling bits of weirdness and oddities. If you're into details, you'll probably love this film as much as I do; not a second of this movie is a bore, and I'm still amazed at the tireless richness of it. The direction is splendid and the substance is pure, not to mention the soundtrack which lets you know that someone is a tasteful listener of music (that being Mr. Braff, again).
Natalie Portman is absolutely stunning in this movie. She blew my mind. I guess that seeing her as queen Amidala in Star Wars made me think she wasn't anything special as an actress, but in "Garden State", her true potential comes out shining and exploding. She truly is amazing and talented; that film totally changed my perception of her as an actress, now I know she is genuinely good. So is Braff; and the two together - well they're just a fantastic pair.
Compared to most movies, this one comes as a breath of fresh air. It's inspiring too because it does so much with "so little"; for as I said before, the details here matter. To name but a few: silent velcro, skating alligators, epilepsy security helmet, house-boat, etc.
I can't recommend this movie enough. And I can't wait for more work from Zach Braff, who I now know is very promising as a director and writer. Honestly, I put very much hope in him. I didn't see it in 2004, but if you have to see two movies from that year, they would have to be "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Garden State".
A must see.
23 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I'll have to admit that for the first ten minutes or so of the film, the casual coarse language used by Largeman (Zach Braff)'s high school buddies seemed like a gratuitous and slightly strained reach toward "hipness," in effort to appeal to a younger generation of moviegoers. Blame this in part on my being on the other side of the generation gap. But as I began to know the characters better, it dawned on me that this WAS the younger generation (at least a real part of its disenfranchised subculture, one of which I know very little) and offers an honest representation of the way they speak.
There is a tremendous heart to this film, characterized when Braff, Natalie Portman, and Peter Sarsgaard's characters both literally and metaphorically unleash a scream into the "eternal abyss." Their pent-up frustration stems from the recognized irony that each of us is trapped in a world not of his own making with all of its seemingly irrational expectations and demands. Though we may anesthetize ourselves from the sad truths behind our sustaining myth of self-determination, we risk blinding ourselves to the great redeeming aspect of our existance: the love of the people around us.
Natalie Portman as Largeman's girlfriend, Sam, is utterly luminous here. Not to mention she made me fall in love. I am embarassed to say I had to wait for the end credits to discover who this wonderful actress was (I have religiously avoided the obscenely over-merchandised Star Wars films of late and knew little of her adult work since her childhood debut in "The Professional.") Meryl Streep -- your spiritual daughter and future heir is growing up quite nicely.
The film's great heroic act belongs to Sarsgaard's character who leads Largeman and Sam on a bizarre odyssey through the small town's seamy underbelly in quest of an equally bizarre "gift" for Largeman. His gift becomes an understated but moving act of redemption. Redemption is what the film is about. The fact that each of us posesses the power to in some way redeem one another is the movie's great hope.
I understand the squeamish who might balk at the R-rated language. But the lesson here is that there can be redeeming qualities (and even shared values) among those who don't quite view the world through the same eyes. Before you close yourself off from someone else's world that you don't understand, just stand there for a moment -- as on Boo Radley's porch -- and view the world from their shoes. The universe soon begins to look a little different. And a whole lot larger. Don't miss this one.
There is a tremendous heart to this film, characterized when Braff, Natalie Portman, and Peter Sarsgaard's characters both literally and metaphorically unleash a scream into the "eternal abyss." Their pent-up frustration stems from the recognized irony that each of us is trapped in a world not of his own making with all of its seemingly irrational expectations and demands. Though we may anesthetize ourselves from the sad truths behind our sustaining myth of self-determination, we risk blinding ourselves to the great redeeming aspect of our existance: the love of the people around us.
Natalie Portman as Largeman's girlfriend, Sam, is utterly luminous here. Not to mention she made me fall in love. I am embarassed to say I had to wait for the end credits to discover who this wonderful actress was (I have religiously avoided the obscenely over-merchandised Star Wars films of late and knew little of her adult work since her childhood debut in "The Professional.") Meryl Streep -- your spiritual daughter and future heir is growing up quite nicely.
The film's great heroic act belongs to Sarsgaard's character who leads Largeman and Sam on a bizarre odyssey through the small town's seamy underbelly in quest of an equally bizarre "gift" for Largeman. His gift becomes an understated but moving act of redemption. Redemption is what the film is about. The fact that each of us posesses the power to in some way redeem one another is the movie's great hope.
I understand the squeamish who might balk at the R-rated language. But the lesson here is that there can be redeeming qualities (and even shared values) among those who don't quite view the world through the same eyes. Before you close yourself off from someone else's world that you don't understand, just stand there for a moment -- as on Boo Radley's porch -- and view the world from their shoes. The universe soon begins to look a little different. And a whole lot larger. Don't miss this one.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Incredible
Many people complain over the supposed stating of emotions and lack of expression, along with the statement that in this movie most teens may only find happiness through drug use,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dkb
All Time Favorite
I like both Zach and Natalie as actors. I have watched this movie at least ten times...the perfect example of how a good story can make a great movie. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Erik
Review for Garden State
I loved this movie. I found it really meaningful and sad enough to be touching. Just had to buy myself a copy! I'll definitely rewatch and mull over it many times. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nelle
Fantastic!
I love this movie, it is so unique and great. The quality of this dvd is fantastic. No scratches on the dvd or any gunk on the case. Thumbs up!
Published 6 months ago by jjgreen22
Amazing movie!
This movie will always be in my top 10 favorites. It is the type you can watch over and over again and get something new from it every time! Classic!
Published 11 months ago by JJamesN
Great debut from Braff
This is a great film, especially considering it's Braff's first attempt at writing and direction. It has a slightly melancholic undertone to it which tends to make the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Spider Monkey
I loved it
Zach Braff's movie Garden state is exceptional. Not only does it have Natalie Portman in it, but it's one of those rare movies which really combines a good story with good, maybe... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Eolake
Truly surprised me...
I am not a huge lover of romantic comedies, but this movie was so far above the usual type that it really had me shocked at the quality of it. Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. Cosentino
Love this movie, but...
I think this movie is great, which is why I rented it! However, I will NEVER rent a video on demand from Amazon again. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Carissa
Great movie, but picture quality could be better.
I love this movie.
The story is unique, and I really felt that I understood the main character. Read more
The story is unique, and I really felt that I understood the main character. Read more
Published 20 months ago by BruceL
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