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Dressing cats as humans , 26 October 2008
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Garden State
on DVD (2004)
Starring: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard
Director: Zach Braff
Certificate: 
This abomination is so self-consciously 'Quirky' is surprising it doesn't come in a triangle shaped box or some similar obviously trite ploy.
The underlying story is so hackneyed it’s actually almost refreshing to see it reprised in such a seemingly naive fashion; the generic, cosmetically-designed faces of the leading troupe bulge with bright-eyed wonder at the heretofore untold story they have unlocked. Yet, if anyone is even slightly surprised by the ending or the 'twists and turns' which punctuate the 'journey', they have evidently never read a book, watched a film or seen an episode of Beverly Hills 90210.
At times it feels as though Garden State is posed to actually take a turn towards leftfield but some romantic-slush soon suffocates any such potential.
Nothing is left unsaid - if you can’t work out the metaphors or euphemisms don’t worry - they will be stripped of any mystic minutes later. It may have been more efficient to run subtitles outlining what each scene, statement and intonation signifies.
Compared to genuinely alternative films this is embarrassing - it is contrived and tepid and features what must be the most annoying leading couple in cinematic history. Whoever told 'Zach Braff' he had an interesting face deserves to spend a year locked in a room with this film playing constantly.
People who like this film are the type who talk endlessly about their 'crazy' habit of alphabetizing their collection of world cinema DVDs or harp on and on about how untidy their children’s “rumpus room” is.
When the film ended I felt guilty for having sniggered a couple of times - the same sense of shame one feels after dressing the family cat.
This is truly awful - a crass attempt at alternative cinema but ultimately a resounding reaffirmation of sugar-sweet Hollywood values...
Rate this:
 
69%
from 8,723 members
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