TimmyReview of Garden State.

It’s a critical problem when movies come to me highly recommended. You do the math.

The openning had me curious. The following few scenes left me skeptical, as if “waiting” for the movie to begin. I don’t particularly like drugs in movies, so that turned me off during those scenes. I don’t know why it was suggested this could make me cry, this movie didn’t move me in that direction at all. In fact, I had a feeling I was laughing at the wrong moments. I tend to do that sometimes during movies.

Overall, it struck me as a “awkward moment” movie. Thankfully not too awkward, and each moment was context-relevant and not just done for show. One of the first scenes where .. You know, I don’t even remember the main character’s name. I have that issue sometimes. They kept calling him Large? The guy that looks like he could play Keanu Reaves. Well, the room is all white. It’s symbolism and stuff to reflect his emotionally numb state!

Isn’t that artistic. (My sarcasm bleeds; but I am observant.)

The character of Sam (Natalie Portman) is meant to be charismatic and succeeds in that respect. If she was meant to simply be a catalyst, she succeeds. But if she was meant to actually be a coherent character, I’m having a hard time understanding the “why”. Or maybe I’m being critical.

Some suspensions of disbelief I can go with, especially with some of the movies I watch. One plot device that always irks me is the Instant Romance. I don’t care whether you’re falling for Darth Vader, or Keanu Reaves, I’m not buying it. Perhaps I just don’t relate nor understand Sam’s emotionally eclectic state. This is simply not explained. She cries and I’m left relating to the main character, and partly muttering to myself, “wtf?”

And the Plane Ride? Oh please, I can’t help but think of Not Another Teen Movie. Don’t get on that plane!

I was told this movie would move me, or change my emotional state. I don’t really think it did that. It’s a hard charge to say, “Be like Amelié.” Amelié accomplished the surreal while keeping the real. That is how I related to it, on those surreal yet real terms. It held me through the entire movie and moved me. Garden State was not meant to be surreal at all, and my lack of relating to the “real” nature of the movie caused me to feel a lack of empathy for the characters.

It’s all fine and dandy to point at characters and say, “Wow, that reminds me of someone.” But there didn’t seem to be any emotional crescendo. The end of the movie comes when we actually learn about the main character. So be it.

There was an overriding theme of capturing the moment. Was that it? Pointing out how gee, this is actually our lives. Sorry, I was distracted by Method Man. No, not mocking. I dislike rappers in leading roles. But I get a huge kick when they play small parts. Word to your homies, yo.

I don’t feel like anything was resolved between him and his dad. Empty talk in my opinion. The actors clearly protrayed those awkward father-son moments rather well. But resolution? It really bothered me when he put his hand on his chest.

I’m very conscious when movies have slow moments. This isn’t to say I need ACTION-PACKED THRILLERS. I just notice when movies have moments that aren’t really relevant or important, or otherwise are losing my interest. Above all, ENTERTAIN. This has a relatively low slow-moment quotient, but there were moments here and there where I wavered and my mind wandered away from the film. Films are ACTION-PACKED because they have nothing to say. Slow movies are slow because if you sped it up, you’d miss something. Regardless, the length of the movie felt appropriate to the passage of time.

As a movie, I’m glad I watched it. Definitely would recommend others to rent it. But there are very few movies I actually own, and unfortunately this movie is not good enough to join those titles. I wouldn’t mind seeing this again with others, but if this was just a one-night stand, it would suffice in its rental nature. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have my Amelié soundtrack on, and it’s making me feel things this movie did not.

Next movie: Miracle or Broken Flowers. The former because I’ve caught parts of it, and it actually made me cry. The later because I love the third wave of Bill Murray movies.