Intrigued by the trailer, and always up for a quirky independent film, I saw Garden State last Saturday. It definitely lives up to the promise of the trailer. The script is clever and moving. Natalie Portman is by turns funny, charming, and heartbreaking. The soundtrack is also terrific, matching the mood perfectly (Nick Drake is sure showing up a lot lately...not that I'm complaining).
And how can I not like a movie with an ark and lots of rain?
My criticisms are minor. As a writer/director, Braff is a bit too much in love with his script: some scenes rely excessively on dialog rather than trusting the camera and the (quite able) actors to get the point across. Similarly, Braff doesn't trust himself enough as a director on occasion. A scene between his character and Natalie Portman's in a bathtub (sorry Sid, they have their clothes on!) is wonderfully intimate when close up, but the shot eventually switches back wide, as if Braff is afraid he can't sustain it. He's wrong, he can.
Overall a wonderful movie, well worth seeing.
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