When I saw the preview for the movie “Garden State,” it
dominated my attention for its full two and a half minutes and
nearly brought tears to my eyes. The movie itself is a magnified
version of the trailer, but the film is much more than the
seemingly random yet curiously meaningful images presented in the
teaser. Somehow, the film manages to be both heartfelt and
hilarious, at some points tickling and at others touching.

“Garden State” follows endeavoring actor/waiter Andrew
Largeman’s visit to his small hometown in New Jersey, after having
had no contact with any of his family or friends back home for nine
years. His mother’s death is the cause of both his return to his
birthplace and the abandonment of his medication, which he has been
taking for the majority of his life.

Emerging from his lithium-induced haze prompts him to see a
doctor other than his psychiatrist father (an underused but still
fabulous Ian Holm).

In the waiting room he meets an impulsive and quirky girl named
Sam (Natalie Portman, in her best role since 1994’s “The
Professional”) with whom he eventually buries a guinea pig, dodges
flaming arrows and endures onanistic canines, among other
adventures.

He also rediscovers some past high school friendships, including
one with Mark (Peter Sarsgaard), now the grave digger at the local
cemetery.

Braff’s turn as Dr. Dorian on the stellar TV series “Scrubs,”
while certainly engaging, simply cannot hold a candle to his
self-written role as the numbed Largeman in “Garden State.”

Stuck in the confusion and dysfunction that surrounds him,
“Large” attempts to make sense of his past after having largely
ignored it for nine years. His decision to stop his pill intake
leads him to question the direction his life is taking. Braff pegs
the uncertainty of his character while still maintaining Large’s
sweetness and easy sense of humor throughout the film.

Portman’s Sam is off the wall in a wholly endearing manner. Many
of her utterings are unexpected, but usually they lead to an
exploration of ideas from an alternate perspective. Portman plays
Sam as an odd mixture of shyness and garishness, and does so
brilliantly.

The chemistry between Portman and Braff adds much to the truth
of both actors’ characters. Their interactions seem spontaneous,
and through their depictions the characters of Large and Sam can be
seen to feel a connection as soon as they meet. Braff’s script is
strong, but his and Portman’s portrayals elevate the film beyond
the screenplay.

The soundtrack to “Garden State”(with Braff as executive
soundtrack producer) is a mix of soft, heartfelt songs that may be
familiar to some. The Shins are featured twice on the soundtrack,
which also includes songs from Coldplay, Simon and Garfunkel, Remy
Zero, Nick Drake and a beautiful cover of the Postal Service tune
“Such Great Heights” by Iron and Wine.

The soundtrack certainly adds to the emotional impact of the
film and is even included in the story at times, but the carefully
selected grouping of songs never distracts from the on-screen
events.

Throughout the film, “Garden State”manages to treat an abundance
of topics. It touches on themes such as father-son relationships,
friendships, love, fear, disconnectedness, maturity, pain, humor;
the film connects so many ideas that it seems to be a story about
everything. From a human standpoint, everything is simply the world
around us and how we experience it. The movie is a story about
life.

This treatment of life is masterfully done, and very convincing.
Little quirks and details help the film’s story ring true: Large’s
only means of transportation is an antique motorbike he inherited
from his grandfather.

His aunt makes him a shirt out of the same material his mother
used to redecorate the bathroom just before her death; Large’s
medicine cabinet in his Los Angeles apartment is absolutely packed
with little orange canisters with child safety lids on them, each
one with a different prescription pasted onto its front.

Each of these visual details serves to flesh out the world of
the film and also highlights Braff’s proficient directorial
instincts.

The balance between the good and the bad, however, between the
bliss and the grief, is the keystone to “Garden State”‘s truth in
interpretation.

Life is neither altogether hopeful nor absolutely hopeless, and
the movie reflects that. The balance allows the film to be moving,
as well as mirthful, and makes “Garden State” one of the best films
of the year.