Garden State

Directed by Zach Braff, Garden State follows struggling actor Andrew Largeman (Braff) as he returns home after the sudden death of his mother – with the character’s arrival in New Jersey bringing him in contact with old friends (Peter Sarsgaard’s Mark and Armando Riesco’s Jesse, among others) and a new love interest (Natalie Portman’s Sam). It’s familiar subject matter that’s employed to consistently engaging and engrossing effect by Braff, as the first-time filmmaker delivers an immediately-captivating drama that’s been suffused with a whole host of appealing, spellbinding elements – including Lawrence Sher’s lush cinematography, Braff’s nigh iconic song choices, and a raft of top-notch performances across the board. (Braff manages to elicit uniformly superb work from his enormously talented primary players, while the movie also boasts memorable one-scene appearances by folks like Method Man, Michael Weston, and Ann Dowd.) And though the picture is admittedly a little rough around the edges in some aspects, with this particularly true of certain palpably clunky instances of dialogue, Garden State‘s engrossing vibe, which is enhanced by Braff’s spot-on musings on life and relationships, paves the way for a stirring second half that’s capped off with an emotional, completely satisfying final few minutes – thus confirming the film’s place as a first-class endeavor that perfectly captures the struggle and ennui of one’s 20s.

**** out of ****