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Garden State (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:176
Fresh:153
Rotten:23
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Charmingly warm-hearted and quirky.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis:
Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) shuffled through life in a lithium-induced coma until his mother's death inspired a vacation from the pills to see what might happen. A moderately successful TV actor...
Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) shuffled through life in a lithium-induced coma until his mother's death inspired a vacation from the pills to see what might happen. A moderately successful TV actor living in Los Angeles, "Large" hasn't been home to the "Garden State" in nine years. But even with 3,000 miles between them, he's been unable to escape his domineering father Gideon (Sir Ian Holm) and the silencing effect he's had on his son from afar.
Stunned to find himself in his hometown after such a long absence, Large finds old acquaintances around every corner living quite unique lives as gravediggers (Peter Sarsgaard), fast food knights and the panderers of pyramid schemes. Meanwhile, at home, he does his best to avoid a long-simmering but inevitable confrontation with his father.
By a twist of fate, Large meets Sam (Natalie Portman), a girl who is everything he isn't. A blast of color, hope and quirks, Sam becomes a sidekick who refuses to ride in his sidecar. Her warmth and fearlessness give Large the courage to open his heart to the joy and pain of the infinite abyss that is life.
GARDEN STATE was directed and written by Zach Braff (of television's "Scrubs"), who also stars alongside Golden Globe®-nominated Natalie Portman (STAR WARS: EPISODE I, COLD MOUNTAIN), Golden Globe nominee Peter Sarsgaard (SHATTERED GLASS, BOYS DON'T CRY), Oscar®-nominated Ian Holm (CHARIOTS OF FIRE, LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING), Emmy Award®-winning Jean Smart (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, SWEET HOME ALABAMA), Method Man (SOUL PLANE, HOW HIGH), and Golden Globe nominee Ron Leibman (AUTO FOCUS, PERSONAL VELOCITY).
Opening Date: Friday, August 6
San Francisco: Landmark's Bridge Theatre
Opening Date: Friday, August 13
San Francisco - CineArts @ Empire
Emeryville - AMC Bay Street
Berkeley - Shattuck Cinema
Pleasant Hill - Century Pleasant Hill
Burlingame - Century Hyatt
San Jose - Camera 12
San Jose - AMC Mercado, Santa Clara
San Jose - AMC Saratoga
Sausalito - CineArts @ Marin
Santa Rosa - Rialto Cinemas Lakeside
Opening Date: Friday, August 20
Sacramento - UA Market Square
Roseville - UA Olympus Point
Davis - Signature Stadium 5
Stockton - City Center 16
Visalia - Signature Stadium 10
Reno - Riverside 12
Honolulu - Dole Cannery 16
-- © Fox Searchlight
Starring: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, Peter Sarsgaard
Starring: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, Peter Sarsgaard, Ron Leibman, Method Man, Jean Smart, Ann Dowd, Denis O'Hare, Geoffrey Arend, Jackie Hoffman
Director: Zach Braff
Director: Zach Braff
Screenwriter: Zach Braff
Producer: Pamela Abdy, Dan Halsted, Gary Gilbert, Richard Klubeck
Composer: Chad Fischer
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Reviews for Garden State
A witty, wacky, and wonderful trip through the minefield of being twenty-something.
Garden State is nothing short of genius, as moving as it is hilarious.
It's heart is beautifully expressed through humour, dry wit and honest emotion that never gets sappy at all.
Actor Zach Braff (NBC's "Scrubs") makes an impressive if unsatisfying writing and directing debut with a plaintive post-modern drama that relies on unspoken dry wit to entertain its audience (think a cross between "Harold and Maude" and "The Graduate").
Es una buena primera película (...) El problema tal vez sea su incontrolable acumulación de situaciones...
The film manages to be delightfully offbeat while simultaneously providing weight and depth.
It's the kind of small treasure that drops in theaters once or twice a year.
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March 02, 2006:
Dr. Dorian Prepares for "Open Hearts"
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