Barnes & Noble

Scrubs star Zach Braff displays astonishing versatility as the writer, director, and leading man of this charming, visually striking independent drama, which came from nowhere to captivate critics and audiences in 2004. Braff impressed viewers with his understated, perceptive portrayal of a struggling, chronically depressed actor who returns to his home state of New Jersey for his mother’s funeral. Emotionally numb and ill equipped to cope with his estranged father (a miscast but nonetheless effective Ian Holm), the actor lunges into an unexpectedly satisfying relationship with a delightfully eccentric young woman (Natalie Portman) who turns out to be a pathological liar. Garden State is a difficult movie to classify: In spots it’s very funny, yet it’s not really a comedy. It’s also sad, yet not a tragedy. It’s frequently sober and contemplative but hardly a pure drama. The film is multilayered, like life itself. Branff’s script has depth and the characters are well drawn if somewhat ambiguous; we’re never really sure, for example, how to feel about the actor’s former best friend (Peter Sarsgaard), a gravedigger who doesn’t think twice about stealing jewelry interred with corpses but goes to extraordinary lengths to do a favor for his grieving friend. We root for a reconciliation between the bereaved father and the son he drove away years ago, but Ian Holm plays the dad as too distant and detached to reach any lasting understanding with his boy. In the end it’s Portman’s character that makes the strongest impression, rousing Braff’s actor from his self-imposed torpor and giving him a reason to reengage. Garden State won’t bowl you over with flashy histrionics or garrulous profundity, but it will creep up on you and leaving you wanting more when the end credits begin to roll. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In the wake of his success on the hit NBC sitcom Scrubs, actor Zach Braff made his debut behind the camera writing, directing, and starring in this bittersweet romantic comedy. Braff plays Andrew Largeman, a young man who has just received word of his mother's passing. With this news, Andrew returns to the town in which he grew up, where he is greeted by his father, Gideon (Ian Holm), a psychiatrist. In addition to mourning the loss of his mother, Andrew is also attempting to adjust to life without the emotionally numbing antidepressants that he has recently opted to discontinue using. Gradually, with the absence of the pills, his reconnection with his past, and the introduction of Sam (Natalie Portman), a woman who would seem to have little in common with him, into his life, Andrew is able to see the potential for some positive changes. Also starring Jean Smart and Peter Sarsgaard, Garden State was once titled Large's Ark and premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Matthew Tobey

Rolling Stone

It's a hilarious and heartfelt ode to twentysomething angst. Braff has himself a winner. Peter Travers

Baltimore Sun

Garden State is filled with characters you long to know more about, in situations to which almost anyone can relate. And that's as near a can't-miss movie formula as one can get. Chris Kaltenbach

Product Details

• UPC: 024543155881
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Time: 1:42:00
• Sales Rank: 9,508

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Natalie Portman Celebrity Pack
• Garden State & Me and You and Everyone We Know
• Fox Searchlight Spotlight Series, Vol. 4

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