Garden State | |
---|---|
Directed by | Zach Braff |
Written by | Zach Braff |
Produced by | Dan Halsted Gary Gilbert Danny DeVito |
Starring | Zach Braff Natalie Portman Jackie Hoffman Ian Holm Peter Sarsgaard |
Cinematography | Lawrence Sher |
Edited by | Myron I. Kerstein |
Music by | Alexi Murdoch |
Distributed by | Fox Searchlight |
Release dates | July 28, 2004 |
Running time | 102 min. |
Country | |
Language | English |
Budget | $2.5 million |
Box office | $26,782,316 |
Garden State is a 2004 film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff, with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and co-starring Sir Ian Holm.
It was filmed over 25 days in April and May 2003 and released on July 28, 2004. The main setting and primary shooting location was New Jersey.[1] It was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. The film won Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards.
The film centers on Andrew Largeman (Braff), a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey for the first time in nine years, after receiving word from his father (Holm) that his mother has died. He reconnects with his friend Mark (Sarsgaard), now a gravedigger and a graverobber, at his mother's funeral. Largeman gets reacquainted with other old friends, all the time avoiding his father. While in the waiting room of a doctor's office, Largeman meets a local girl, Sam (Portman), and the two cautiously initiate a relationship.
Garden State was well received, and is considered a major success for Scrubs actor Zach Braff as it was his feature film debut as a director. The film also spawned a popular soundtrack for which Braff, who picked the music himself, won a Grammy award.
Overview
Summary
California waiter/actor Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) receives a call from his psychiatrist father (Ian Holm), learning that his paraplegic mother has died. After nine years, Andrew returns home to New Jersey for the funeral and the life he thought he had left behind. Largeman befriends an unusual girl, Sam (Natalie Portman), who happens to be his polar-opposite, and reconnects with his gravedigging best friend (Peter Sarsgaard), his father, and eventually himself.
Synopsis
The film opens with an airplane going down with soothing Indian music playing in the background. The scene fades into Andrew’s room, as he awakes from what apparently was a dream. A telephone message from his father tells Andrew that his mother has just died and that he needs to return home.
The struggling actor leaves Los Angeles and returns home to the state of New Jersey to attend his mother's funeral. At the end he greets some nearby gravediggers, whom he recognizes from his past. He explains to them that his mother just died and that he is in town for a couple of days. The workers, Mark and Dave, invite him to a party that night. Returning to his old house, Andrew talks briefly with his father. He tells his father of his random headaches and books a doctor's appointment. Later that night Andrew discovers his old motorcycle, complete with sidecar, and proceeds to the party where he meets up with Mark, as well as several of his other old friends. At the party he finds that most of the people he went to high school with are in a state of suspension, partying and doing drugs.
After spending the night at the party, Andrew awakes at Mark's house. He soon proceeds to his doctor's appointment. While in the waiting room, Andrew meets Sam. Sam says that she recognizes him from television, and Andrew talks with her briefly before he is called in for his appointment. Andrew informs the doctor that he left his anti-depressants back in Los Angeles, but turns down the opportunity for a new prescription.
Andrew finds Sam outside of the office. It turns out that her boyfriend is not picking her up and she was not waiting for a friend, which she previously claimed. Andrew eventually offers to drive her home on his motorcycle. She soon admits that she doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Andrew is invited in and meets Sam's family.There, Sam tells Andrew how she can not help lying and the pair get to know each other more. After returning home, Andrew is confronted by his father, who is insistent that they have a talk before Andrew leaves town.
Andrew instead returns to Sam's house, where it is revealed that Sam has epilepsy. Andrew and Sam retreat to a bar, where they further bond until they are interrupted by Mark, Dave and Jesse, which sees the group end up swimming at Jesse's mansion with a group of other friends. It turns out that Andrew cannot actually swim, so Sam stays with him in the shallower end. At the fireplace, Andrew reveals to Sam, Mark and Jesse why he was sent to boarding school during his youth: frustrated that he could not make his mother happy, he pushed her when he was a child. In a freak accident, she tripped over the dishwasher that was open because of a broken latch, and hit her neck on the kitchen counter, paralyzing her from the waist down. Jesse and Mark soon leave to attend to a girl, leaving Andrew and Sam by the fireplace, where he soon admits he likes her.
The next day, Mark tells Andrew that he would be tracking down a going away present for him, but needs him (and his bike) as a means of transport to get it. As Andrew was going to spend the day with Sam, she comes along as well. Following stops at a hardware store and seedy hotel, the trio end up at a colourful quarry in Newark. Rain starts to pour down; Mark then leads the group to a little houseboat stationed on the top of the quarry. The inhabitants, who have been employed to watch the area, are also casual antique jewelry dealers. Mark collects the piece. All three begin to head back, but Andrew spontaneously climbs to the top of an abandoned piece of machinery and screams down into the quarry. Sam and Mark then join him as the three scream together down into the quarry. Sam and Andrew then kiss each other. As they reach Mark’s home, he hands Andrew the piece, which turns out to be his mother's old favorite piece of jewelry. Andrew and Sam retreat to his house, where they spend the night together. Andrew gets up out of bed and approaches his father to finally have their talk.
The morning after, Andrew is saying his goodbyes to Sam at the airport, as he prepares to return to Los Angeles, but eventually decides to stay.
Cast
- Zach Braff as Andrew Largeman
- Natalie Portman as Sam
- Jackie Hoffman as Aunt Sylvia Largeman
- Ian Holm as Gideon Largeman
- Peter Sarsgaard as Mark
- Alex Burns as Dave
- Ron Liebman as Dr. Cohen
- Method Man as Diego
Reception
The film was first screened on January 16, 2004, at the Sundance Film Festival. Upon release at Sundance, the film was purchased in a joint venture by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Miramax for US$5 million, double the budget. Fox Searchlight Pictures president Peter Rice said of the film, "Having enjoyed the film immensely, we look forward to working with Miramax to bring Garden State to audiences worldwide."[2] From March until mid July, it screened at other various film festivals until it received a limited release on July 28 in North America. From late 2004 through mid 2005, Garden State was shown at more festivals and was released in over 30 countries. Despite having a limited release in all its markets, the film was able to gather $35,825,316 at the worldwide box office, of which about $26.7M came from North America.[3]
After its limited release in theatres, the film gained more popularity during its DVD release on December 28, 2004, which includes commentaries, deleted scenes and featurettes. In addition to being a nominee for the Grand Jury prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, Braff received Best New Director from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Florida Film Critics Circle's Pauline Kael Breakout Award, Best Debut Director award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and Breakout of the Year from the Phoenix Film Critics Society. Garden State has an 87% freshness rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.[4]
Production
Garden State was Zach Braff’s feature directing and writing debut. The title of the film was originally intended to be Large's Ark - in reference to Braff's character. Garden State was filmed on a budget of $2.5 million.[3] Most of the film was shot on location in Braff's home town of South Orange, New Jersey,[1] with filming taking place at Cranford, Livingston, Maplewood, Newark, South Orange, Tenafly and Wallington. Although the majority of the filming was done in New Jersey, filming also took place in New York City and Los Angeles.
Music
The music that accompanied the film was hand-picked by Zach Braff. Commenting on the selections, Braff said that "Essentially, I made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay".[5]
The music in the film features a number of indie-rock artists, notably The Shins. In an early scene, Sam passes Andrew a headset which is playing the song "New Slang" by The Shins as she says "You gotta hear this one song - it'll change your life." A second Shins song, "Caring Is Creepy," is also featured on the soundtrack.
Zach Braff accepted a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The film's trailer won an award for best music at the Golden Trailer Awards. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated it for best soundtrack.
References
- ^ a b rottentomatoes.com Garden State production notes
- ^ "moviecitynews.com". MCN Sundance 2004:Fox Searchlight and Miramax acquire Garden State.
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