I'll Garden YOUR State!

Why do I always feel compelled to mess with titles that way? I think that somewhere, deep down, I'm afraid that someone will think I'm being pretentious by giving one of my dumb little movie review blog posts the same title as the actual movie. Plus, I love messing with words.

Garden State (Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard) was the second DVD I ever got in the mail from Netflix. It was one of those movies that had been roundly recommended by a lot of people whose opinions I respect. It seemed like this was the Generation Y movie to see. Edgy, emotional, touching, funny...you know. The kind of movie kids like me could connect to.

When asked if there was anything in it that would seriously offend me, my friends would respond that it had a lot of language, but nothing else to speak of.

Ironically, that was my primary problem with this film. It's about a TV actor who returns home for his mother's funeral after nine years of being away. He reconnects with old friends, meets a girl...etc. The acting is good, and the writing is quirky and unique. So it mostly works OK.

But the whole thing is absurdly self-conscious in that "look how deep I am" way that makes you cringe. It moves slowly and thoughtfully, but never misses an opportunity to point out its own thoughtfulness. This core problem with the film, its story, and the way its told, is unexpectedly illustrated by the sheer number of F-bombs shot through the dialog. By the end, the way the characters have expressed themselves feels much less like real life and much more like a smug, inexperienced new writer.

So the film was OK. It didn't leave much with me other than mild irritation and a slight haze of sadness.

Here's an alternative: Elizabethtown (Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst). I know, weird that I'd offer an alternative. Well, it's good, and it's a very similar movie. Guy goes back home after the death of his father, reconnects with people, meets a girl yadda yadda yadda. But it's a more effective comedy, has better feel-good moments, and, as far as I'm concerned, pulls off quirkiness in a much more satisfying way. I really enjoyed it. A lot. I wouldn't call it a GREAT movie, but I would certainly say it's worth watching. There are scenes that will stick with you for quite some time.

But there's another problem with both of these movies, both of them written and directed by men (Zach Braff and Cameron Crowe). It's the story of boy meets girl, girl saves boy. This dynamic, the way these kinds of stories are so often told, is this: one day, a guy will meet this perfect girl who will save him from all of his problems. The romance is grand and mystical, and the ending is much like a fairy tale, except with the girl in the shining armor (not that there's anything wrong with girls wearing shining armor).

I realize neither of these stories rigidly stick to this model, but that underlying theme is predominant. People who consume and accept these kinds of stories are damaged by them. Men gain an impossible, idealistic expectation that they will one day meet the girl of their dreams who will make everything better somehow, and women are presented with examples that they cannot possibly match. The whole system is based on fantasy--particularly the fantasy of the writer/director.

But we can't judge these guys too harshly. They are simply working with and expressing themselves through a model that society gave them. And it's a nice story. It does feel good. I would simply suggest that as you see films like these, you notice and understand the dramatic difference between what they're telling you, and what real life is really like.

By the way, if you agree or disaggree with me in any way, I would love some feedback in the comment section. Don't be shy. Comments are like pizza, in that I like them both a whole lot.