Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

I don't know which is the better way to say it - this wasn't a very good movie but it had some humorous moments, OR, this film had some humorous moments but it wasn't very good. I guess it works both ways, my second option at least starts off with sort of a compliment.This is the kind of film I would have related to a lot better when I was around the same age as the principals, but a lifetime of living (and watching thousands of movies) has offered a somewhat different perspective. I really don't have anything against the picture per se, it's just that the characters and situations are fundamentally shallow and made quirky for the sake of being quirky. Where else for example would you find an armor wearing Renaissance actor, a silent-Velcro inventor guy or a guardian of the infinite abyss? All a bit too pretentious to be taken seriously, not to mention Natalie Portman's invisible epilepsy and inability to speak the truth. Then there's the entire question I have about the ethics of a father prescribing medication for an immediate family member. Seems to me like there could be some kind of grounds there for medical malfeasance there, in fact I was bothered enough by that to look it up. To keep it simple, the A.M.A. states that physicians generally should not treat themselves or members of their immediate families because professional objectivity may be compromised when an immediate family member or the physician is the patient.Anyway, without scorching the picture, I'd give Zach Braff some credit for coming up with a relatively decent first time writing and directorial effort. I thought he did a nice acting job on 'Scrubs', but because of that, probably should have nailed that business on the doctor/patient relationship. He probably knows better by now.

"Garden State" has a very specific brand of humor that not everyone is going to get immediately. But as writer/director/star Zach Braff says in the bonus interview, "Is it funny? {Interviewer says yeah} Good. I never know if anyone else is going to find them funny. If nothing else, I'm making a movie that I'll enjoy."And that's why this movie works. In comedy, the worst thing you can do is try too hard to be funny. "Garden State" falls squarely in subtle, almost deadpan territory... meaning there aren't any big sight gags, slapstick or knockout punchlines. In that respect I'd put it in the genre of "movies like Bill Murray would act in" except there's no Bill Murray. 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). 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.The story is something like famed French existentialist Albert Camus would write if he did comedy. A late-20s, emotionless, estranged son (Zach Braff) returns to his hometown to bury his mother. He seems devoid of all sentimentality as he wanders around meeting all sorts of crazy (and I mean crazy) characters from his past. 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. Then he meets his antithesis, a 20-something girl (Natalie Portman) whose range of emotion is somewhere between very amused and insanely happy.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.Another thing that really defines this film is the way every character, even the minor ones who only have 1 scene, are so bizarre and interesting that you feel like an entire movie spinoff could be made of each one. These characters include: 1) the grave digger who makes his real living by doing questionable things at the hardware store; 2) the grave digger's hot mom who is sleeping with her son's sworn enemy from high school; 3) the kid who got rich from inventing "silent velcro" and who now spends his time doing absolutely nothing; 4) the West African immigrant who is studying criminal justice and is obsessed with figuring out which dog is pissing on his phone; 5) the strange "Guardian of the Abyss" whom I won't spoil for you; and the list goes on.The second half of the story focuses on a bizarre suburban quest the 3 main characters undertake, almost like in "Stand by Me" but with grownups and maybe a pornographic peepshow or two (btw the location of the climactic scene, "Kiernan's Quarry", is a real place--or at least it was until it got filled in & converted to condos a few years ago).But as strange and nonsensical as it sounds, these are in fact "true stories from suburbia" as Zach Braff says. The entire film is a compilation of stories that happened to him and others in his small Jersey town growing up. "Garden State" has a magical way of bringing these seemingly random vignettes to our attention, making us understand the epic nature of obscurity.So no, there may not be crazy car chases, bank heists or wacky jewel capers (...oh wait, actually there sorta is 1 wacky jewel caper), this film delivers a really entertaining ride from start to finish.

If not for the well known cast I would have thought this to be a indie film. It is rather off beat, but it is a satisfying film and well acted and written with a few flaws. The mostly deadpan low key comedy works, and its refreshing to see comedy without bathroom jokes, until ... the scene where a dog humping the protagonist's leg is used as a plot device ... that and another really tasteless scene involving a dog really stuck out in a bad way in an otherwise enjoyable film. Overall I thought the film worked, but it is weird, and all the characters have these major flaws that make me think i might not want anything to do with them in real life .. but maybe that's part of why it was interesting. And Natalie Portman is adorable.

I wasn't even sure if I should write this review as I struggled to come up with words to describe it. On the one hand there are some good things about it, quality moments where you really empathise with Zach Braff's character and his feelings. The movie really well captures the numbness of depression. And on the opposite spectrum I really liked Natalie Portman's character as she brought a lot of energy to it. There are some funny scenes and interesting characters but after a while the quirkiness becomes old and stale. Just being random doesn't make it funny.But there is a profound emptiness that comes upon me when I think about the Garden State. It left me feeling nothing, as if I had forgotten half the film and now struggled to remember what was good about it. The film's better moments don't come together to a satisfying whole and the plot just feels unfinished.Overall this is by no means a bad film. But it's one of those movies that you watch when there is nothing better on. It's satisfying as long as you don't expect too much.