I was pretty disappointed. It has it’s funny moments, but the theme has been done a million times before. In the end, it’s really just…
… a sappy love story with a bunch of odd-ball characters.
That is patently absurd.
Firstly, a month? There weren’t even any Klingons in it!
Sure, there was a line about them at around the thirty minute mark but Tim, the knight, is a petaQ and obviously has no knowledge of tlhIngan hol. He is a verengan Ha’DIbaH and dishonors us with his incompetence. I was there for just under a week, thank you.
Secondly, the Center Street Cinema doesn’t have adequate facilities to wash up with so I didn’t bother with the change of clothes. Some toilet paper, that cherry scented handsoap, and some splashes of water in strategic locations were all I needed.
Thirdly, I do not own a bed pan, nor did I need one. The circumfrence of the xxxtra large popcorn bucket allows for greater freedom – allowing you to void with minimal fuss – and has the added benefit of getting unlimited free refills. The high school students staffing the theatre might not be the brightest individuals but I don’t believe even they would confuse one of their pails for a chamber pot.
And, frankly, your conjecture that I eat off the floor is spiteful and does not deserve comment.
You hurt me.
That’s pretty hardcore. Wait 'till you see a good movie. (oh no he didn’t!)
I loved it, personally, but I am square in the middle of the target demographic, and I’m already predisposed to identify with Zach Braff since he pretty much lives my life every week on Scrubs.
Yes, some of it seemed cliched or forced, but I decided to not let that bother me.
I went into it really kind of expecting to be bored, but I ended up thinking it was kinda cute. it’s nothing really revolutionary, if that’s what you’re after… basically an almost- chick flick with enough quirks and little “ha, that’s clever” moments to make you grin every so often. the soundtrack, IMO, is better than the movie.
and if you’re just intent on having Natalie Portman’s babies (and no, you can’t, 'cause I am), you’re much better off seeing Closer. (couldn’t find a link to just the trailer, but there’s one on that site)
I saw Garden State last night, and the first word that comes to mind is “beautiful.” The second is “triumphant.” I laughed, cried, and totally identified with the main character (also being 26, and having spent a good deal of my life detached and drifting). I’ve been to those exact parties, had those exact friends, and unfortunately, had very similar moments with my own parents (luckily few and far between). But it was such a great first-time effort from first-timer writer/director Braff, and he and Natalie Portman were both awesome as the leads. The last time I felt this good during and after a movie was when I saw Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind. Needless to say, those are my two favorite movies of 2004, even though I didn’t see Garden State until March '05. I love The Graduate like crazy, and I could definitely see it as one of Braff’s influences (he even included a Simon and Garfunkel song), but I hope I’m not going too far by saying it could be The Graduate for my generation. And speaking of which, it had one of the best soundtracks in recent memory, and I’m very happy for all those bands (especially the Shins) to be getting more mainstream exposure.
I agree with Big Bad Voodoo Lou. My friends and I picked up on the obvious influence of The Graduate. If nothing else the movie is cute. There are some scenes which are formulaic but I think Braff was creative enough in others to make up for it. If you don’t like it I don’t think you’ll be so dissapointed by it to want to take a crap on the DVD and whip it out into traffic.
I’ve seen numerous people call it that since its release and it seems a pretty common title for it.
I rented it last week, but never sat down and watched it. Monumentally busy and all that. My wife watched it, and seemed to really enjoy it. She did say that the first 10-15 minutes or so were kind of slow, but other than that, it was really good.
She’s usually hard on movies I rent, so this was high praise indeed.
I wonder if MeJane has made up her mind on watching the movie?
Despite being part of the target demographic, more or less, I made it through maybe 40 minutes before turning off the DVD player. Thought it was monumentally boring, poorly written, and for the most part poorly acted.
i thought it was pretty good.
probably one of the best 3-4 movies i saw this year. it’s no eternal sunshine, but it’s well worth renting. i mean, what’s the alternative, with all the shit that’s been released this year?
I really enjoyed it. See it now.
There, are you convinced? 
I saw the trailers in the theater for months before it actually came out; the trailers made it looks like the Second Coming of Bernardo Bertolucci, and I was really, really excited to see it.
I was disappointed. It wasn’t actively bad, but the whole thing had a “by the numbers” feel to it; somehow even the original, inventive scenes felt like slack ripoffs of original, inventive scenes in other films.
Or maybe it was just a little too proud of itself. When you’ve got a good line to deliver like “Sometimes I think a family is just a group of people who are all nostalgic for the same time that never actually existed” (or whatever he said), you don’t need to underscore and highlight it with wacky cinematography tricks like he did in the pool; trust the script to carry itself in a moment like that.
Overall, it seemed like a first film from a bright director who’s seen a lot of movies, and understands a bit about techinque, but hasn’t really stumbled upon anything he wants to say.
No, don’t see it. Go rent Last Night instead.