2K Replay: GARDEN STATE

 by Adam Riske

Nominated for “Choice Movie Liar” (Natalie Portman) at the Teen Choice Awards. She lost to Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

• Best Scene/Moment: I guess when Natalie Portman says “You’re in it right now” to Zach Braff because I use that as a joke with friends ever since 2004.

• Best Song: This is tough because I dig a few songs on the soundtrack especially “Don’t Panic” by Coldplay and “In the Waiting Line” by Zero 7, but my favorite is “Let Go” by Frou Frou.

• Best Merch: A “Garden State Movie Promo Hat” for $19.99. Of course, it’s a bucket hat! That’s the only thing that’s aged more poorly than Garden State.

• Director Grade: Garden State was directed by Zach Braff.
Great Movies: N/A
Good Movies: N/A
OK Movies: Going in Style, A Good Person
Bad Movies: Garden State, Wish I Was Here
Unseen By Me: N/A
Overall Grade: C

• Double It with This 2004 Movie: In Good Company

• Year 2004 Movies to Trailer Before Them: Closer, Wicker Park, Wimbledon

• Color of Night or Garden State? Color of Night

• Mall Movie? Nah. It’s a Fox Searchlight Pictures movie. You would see this at the fancy theater in town. It might play at the mall towards the end of its run.

• Only in 2004: Jim Parsons showing up without you thinking of Sheldon.

• Scene Stealer (tie): Geoffrey Arend and Rob Leibman.

• I Miss: When movies regularly had stacked soundtracks like Garden State does.

• I Don’t Miss: The short-lived prevailing wisdom that Zach Braff had all the answers for rudderless twentysomethings.

• 2004 Crush: Natalie Portman.

• 2024 Crush: Natalie Portman.

• What I Thought in 2004: Aside from a few cringey moments (mostly related to the screenplay -- the dialogue, the quarry sequence) and being mixed on Zach Braff’s performance, I dug the movie. I thought it was clear that Braff was a talented director and I liked many of the other performances, especially Natalie Portman, who I felt dragged the movie to success.

• What I Think in 2024: Yeah, no. This didn’t hold up for me at all. Watching Garden State now (in my early 40s and not in my early 20s), it often feels twee & laughable, like someone telling you how profound they are when all you hear is misguided naivetee. It’s a nice time capsule of my youth, I suppose, but the music is really all I still enjoy.