I thoroughly enjoyed "Garden State" when I watched it on DVD. I got a lot of chuckles out of this heartfelt, slightly offbeat little comedy that was written and directed by Zach Braff. Braff also plays the lead in the movie, and Natalie Portman takes the role of his love interest.
The protagonist in the film is Andrew Largeman (Braff), a 26-year-old New Jersey native who goes home for the first time in nine years to attend his mother's funeral. While there, he falls for an idiosyncratic young woman called Sam (Portman). But Andrew is haunted by problems arising from his past, and he must come to terms with them.
I found "Garden State" to be funny and heartwarming, but I think what gives it some resonance is Braff's ability to show us certain numbing aspects of contemporary American life. In particular, I believe the movie makes the case that prescription medication and recreational drugs are usually not good ways of dealing with our angst.
I enjoyed "Garden State" a lot, but it seemed to me uneven and insufficiently focused, and its quirkiness sometimes felt forced. Still, "Garden State" is a very promising debut for Zach Braff as a filmmaker, and I think that for most viewers the movie's strong points will outweigh its faults.
The "Garden State" DVD comes with two feature-length audio commentary tracks, 16 deleted scenes with optional commentary, and a 27-minute making-of. Below I've listed all the DVD's special features.
DVD Details:
- DVD Release Date: December 28, 2004
- Feature Film Run Time: 1 Hour 42 Minutes
- Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1), Color
- MPAA Rating: R for Language, Drug Use and a Scene of Sexuality
- English 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Spanish Dolby Surround
- English Subtitles
- French Subtitles
- Spanish Subtitles
- Audio Commentary by Zach Braff and Natalie Portman
- Audio Commentary by Braff, Cinematographer, Editor, Production Designer
- Deleted Scenes (16)
- The Making of Garden State (27 min.)
- Outtakes/Bloopers (3 min. 20 sec.)
- Soundtrack Promo Spot
