Must See Movie Monday - Garden State

Film: Garden State
Released: 2004
Rated: R
Director: Zach Braff
Starring: Zach Braff and Natalie Portman
Short Summary: Emotionally numb Andrew Largeman returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for ten years. While there he learns more about living life by hanging out with his wacky acquaintances and a quirk girl named Sam.

Why It's A Must See Movie

Last week I offered a choice between two movies to review for this week. One was Rebel Without A Cause and the other Garden State. My friend Michael commented and said Garden State, literally because he didn't remember the plot even though he had seen it. That gave me a giggle. This was actually a really good choice because my mom had never seen this movie. Thus, I had an excuse to get her to watch it with me and she really enjoyed it. Yay!

What I like about Garden State is that it's simplistic. Sometimes we forget that a movie doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles to be good. This movie reminds us that you can tell a story about average people and it can be just as enjoyable as a big budget special effect filled film.

As you guys know I am a sucker for a movie about a guy going through a coming of age moment. This is certainly one of those. This movie explores the lives of people in their mid to late 20's. The plot is extremely character driven and the characters are easy to relate to. It's so easy to connect with Andrew and Sam and their experiences. Throw in some wacky supporting characters and you've got two hours of amusement. I love seeing how the characters grow and how some of them will always stay the same.

The movie has great scenes and dialogue. I like that the camera work used in the film gives the viewer the opportunity to see the reactions of the actors to the situations they are in. Most of all I love that this movie is quirky and a little strange. It's brings in unusual elements to make you laugh or make you feel serious emotion. It's just a movie that makes me smile. By the way, this is yet another film on this list where you must go out and get the soundtrack.

That's it for this week's movie. I feel like I could say more on this film, but at the same time I feel like you guys would get the best experience if you just went a watched it. I guess I'll be doing Rebel Without A Cause next week, so come back next Monday to read my thoughts on that. Keep it shiny friends!