Garden State (2004)
Mike D'Angelo once described Punch-Drunk Love as "P.T.'s Buffalo '66, except made by somebody who'd only seen that movie instead of somebody who'd lived it"; watching this latest overrated slice of Sundance precociousness, I couldn't help but think that Zack Braff saw Punch-Drunk and Buffalo but missed the point of both of them. A bundle of quirks and an overdeveloped visual sense does not a film make, and when it comes time to add some kind of weight to his story, Braff whiffs it, falling back on tired indie cliches about repressive daddies and quirky girls. I guess I'd be more forgiving if the female romantic interest was at least worth the trouble, but Natalie Portman's endless cuteness can't salvage her irritating character. Just goes to show, nothing good ever came out of New Jersey...
Grade: C
Mike D'Angelo once described Punch-Drunk Love as "P.T.'s Buffalo '66, except made by somebody who'd only seen that movie instead of somebody who'd lived it"; watching this latest overrated slice of Sundance precociousness, I couldn't help but think that Zack Braff saw Punch-Drunk and Buffalo but missed the point of both of them. A bundle of quirks and an overdeveloped visual sense does not a film make, and when it comes time to add some kind of weight to his story, Braff whiffs it, falling back on tired indie cliches about repressive daddies and quirky girls. I guess I'd be more forgiving if the female romantic interest was at least worth the trouble, but Natalie Portman's endless cuteness can't salvage her irritating character. Just goes to show, nothing good ever came out of New Jersey...
Grade: C
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