It's the delightful contrast between these 2 characters, and their great on-screen chemistry, that turns an otherwise brooding sarcastic comedy into a really entertaining treat. Then he meets his antithesis, a 20-something girl (Natalie Portman) whose range of emotion is somewhere between very amused and insanely happy. Whether he's being nearly shot to death by an overenthusiastic cop, or molested by a hot blonde at a party, his range of emotion barely budges between bored and slightly perplexed. He seems devoid of all sentimentality as he wanders around meeting all sorts of crazy (and I mean crazy) characters from his past. A late-20s, emotionless, estranged son (Zach Braff) returns to his hometown to bury his mother. The story is something like famed French existentialist Albert Camus would write if he did comedy. There's a lot of visual storytelling, as in quirky symmetrical shots, stationary cameras on meticulously arranged sets, or a surreal vibe punctated by the camera slowly rising into the sky. I'm referring to flicks like Coffee & Cigarettes, Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic, which is essentially saying it's like a Wes Anderson film, or maybe Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World, Art School Confidential). In that respect I'd put it in the genre of "movies like Bill Murray would act in" except there's no Bill Murray. meaning there aren't any big sight gags, slapstick or knockout punchlines. "Garden State" falls squarely in subtle, almost deadpan territory. In comedy, the worst thing you can do is try too hard to be funny. If nothing else, I'm making a movie that I'll enjoy." And that's why this movie works. I never know if anyone else is going to find them funny. But as writer/director/star Zach Braff says in the bonus interview, "Is it funny? Good. "Garden State" has a very specific brand of humor that not everyone is going to get immediately.
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