"Garden State" (Natalie Portman & Zach Braff) movie trailer

Hi everyone,

The teaser trailer for "Garden State" (written and directed by "Scrubs" star Zach Braff) can now be viewed here:
Trailer
It's not great quality but it's good enough. The official teaser from Apple.com should come out sometime soon.

Rottentomatoes.com info on "Garden State"

Here's a summary:
'Garden State' is the kind of quirky romantic comedy that used to be a staple of Hollywood. Masters of the form reinvented them for each new generation, giving them a specificity and relevance that audiences embraced, e.g., Harold and Maude and The Graduate. And without overstating things, 'Garden State' makes an excellent case for writer/director/actor Zach Braff evolving into the Woody Allen of his time. Needless to say, 'Garden State' is clever. But it's the honesty, self-deprecation, and imagination of this study of a young man's search for himself that place it above the pedestrian reach of Braff's peers.

The story begins when Andrew Largeman returns to his hometown for the funeral of his clinically depressed mother, a journey that reconnects him with some of his past friends. Because the trip coincides with his decision to stop taking his powerful antidepressants, he also begins to reconnect with himself. A chance meeting with Sam (Natalie Portman), a girl also suffering from various maladies, opens up the possibility of rekindling emotional attachments, confronting his psychologist father, and perhaps beginning a new life.

Comedy is hard to pull off. Only the exceptionally talented can prompt laughter while also provoking those deep feelings within us for the human frailty on the screen. 'Garden State' is that kind of rare film. ? Geoffrey Gilmore



The movie was HUGE at Sundance earlier this year - audiences simply loved it. If you don't believe it, read the reviews.
Plus, it was the first movie at this year's festival to be picked up by a distributor for an unprecendented dual acquisition deal with Miramax and Fox Searchlight.

And not to mention, Natalie Portman's in it! And she has received rave reviews!

CHECK IT OUT!

 

Yes...another movie about New Jersey.

 

It looks like a good movie.

 

Looks good. Will definitely check it out.

 

Im surprised that JM22 didnt start this thread.

 

Hehe, beat you to it, JM22!

I just wanted to add a great review of the movie from AICN. It makes me want to watch the movie more.

GARDEN STATE
And, now, from the example of what happens when one rookie is given too much power, we turn to a film that is its antithesis: an example of what can happens when a different, (perhaps more humble?) rookie is given the same amount of power. Zach Braff (of Scrubs, for chrissakes) wrote, directed, and starred in this film, and it's really quite a coming-out party. And, really, honestly... I think this guy may be the next Woody Allen. This film is that good.

Braff plays Andrew Largeman, a struggling actor who returns to Jersey for his mother's funeral, after being away, and estranged from his family, for nine years. That's the short version of the story. This film contains themes ranging from clinical depression, love and what exactly that entails, the search for direction in life, and the growing trend of medicating the young, whether they really need it or not. That a film which deals with such heavy themes and dramatic moments is also hilarious at times is probably its most impressive quality.

The New Jersey of the film is a comfortable, whimsical place populated with offbeat, but undeniably human characters. Not a single moment really feels false. All of the humor springs from real moments, out of the characters (think of the locals jabbering on at each other in "Fargo," and you get the idea), and not from the mindset of a "goofy comedy." More often than not, the laughs come on short bursts, during emotionally heavy moments. Instead of ruining these moments, the comedy makes them more real, more human, more heartbreaking.

I won't even begin to list the vast treasure trove of quirky characters, or quiet, restrained performances that Braff is able to get out his talented cast, which includes very subtle turns from Ian Holm and Peter Sarsgaard, but I must say one thing:

Natalie Portman in this film is a revelation. I shouldn't sound so surprised when I say that, because we all fell in love with her smartass cutie in "Beautiful Girls," but I was really blown away by her performance in this film. She plays Samantha, an epileptic and an admitted complusive liar. (And by the way, if you, like me, hear that she's an epileptic, and then start counting the minutes until she has a grand mal seizure during the emotional climax, well then I have news for you.... This movie is not that cheap. It's got much grander plans for you) Braff has written a character that is quirky without being overly cute, intelligent without being a smartass, and vulnerable without being weak. Portman takes this character, which must have been great on the page, and just runs with it. I don't know if it's a credit to Braff as a writer/director, or to Portman's talent as an actress (probably both), but they have created one of the most original female characters in years. Portman embodies this character and makes her so real, so familiar, that the craft of acting is completely buried, even in the most emotional of moments. You know women like Samantha. You've had conversations with them, and crushes on them. But you've never seen them on a movie screen before. A completely fun, real, honest character like this... well, I can't remember one since "Annie Hall."

Which brings me back to the Woody Allen comparisons. Besides its suburban setting, and the relative youth of its characters and overall sensibility, this film constantly reminds one of those early Allen comedies. Manhattan. Annie Hall. It's that good.

This is not an easy film. The plot meanders at times, and some moments are a little too heavy-handed, but the sheer emotional pull of this film, and its resonance afterward cannot be denied. This is a brilliant, glorious film. Also, I don't know how the word got out, but this was the first film to sell out every screening, and the film with the longest waitlist lines, with some people lining up four hours ahead of time, in the snow, just to see it. It got, and deserved, a standin

 

When's it coming out ?

 

July 30 in select cities.

 

Since everyone is afraid to ask. I'll do it.















Does she remove her clothes?



(see I even said it in a PG-13 manner)

 

I wouldnt hold your breath, dude.

 

I'm beginning to think that sending Yym to the PHAT WARD - FF-style was a bad idea.

 

No she does not.

 

Yeah, I got occupied with Spider-Man 2 trailer instead.

I guess I just got sicked of looking for it, cuz I was doing it everyday last week, and it wasn't put online.

Good job finding it, Dear!

I will comment later on this trailer

 

Spiderman 2 trailer? Where?

 

I been talking about it the whole week!

 

Uppety

 

Looks a good movie

 

Yes, Yes, Yes, but like Yoda_yo_moma asked, does she get her kit off.

 

based on one viewing of the trailer, i know i'm going to see it 100% and there's a 70% chance i'll love it.

 

Someone already said no, FS.





He has a 75% chance of living. And there is only a 50% chance of that.

 

Although there wasn't too much of dialogs (in fact, any dialogs at all), just by looking the facial expressions ALONE, I have NO/NADA/ZERO doubt Natalie is acting very good in this movie!!!

The stunning smiles, the laughs, the dances, it clearly shows she is a Talented force at work!

How many people are shamefully wrong that she can't act?

And, You want to know something interesting, that guy Peter Sarsgaard was with Hayden Christensen in Shattered Glass!

I saw that movie too! HC can also act very well!!!

Both Natalie & Hayden are VERY talented, and that IS THE TRUTH!!!

 

Uppety again.

 

The trailer made it look good but it might be because I'm a Scrubs and Natalie fan, we'll see.

 

As a Scrubs fan I've been following this since way back when, and it's good to see the success it's been having.

Jeremy Walker + Associates, Inc., the public relations agency representing the film has a synopsis of the film with some general plot spoilers at their website. You can also read the press notes there, which include quotes from the cast and crew - but beware, the synopsis included within is far more detailed and spoiler-filled.

When the film was exhibited as part of the dramatic competition at Sundance earlier this year, Braff filed three reports for USA Today about the experience. Those can be read here, here and here. Around the same time the Sundance Channel website featured a Q&A with him.

The Internet Movie Database has a set of photos from events relating to the film at Sundance, along with one oft-seen publicity still.

Yahoo! Movies has a gallery of production photos. NataliePortman.com has some of the Portman-centric ones in higher resolution, as well as some other shots from the movie.

Braff recently gave two interviews to Natalie Portman fansite 'America's Queen.' These can be found here and here.

An example of Braff's previous directing work can be found here. It's a streaming version of the music video he directed for Scrubs' theme song, Lazlo Bane's 'Superman.' Bane's lead singer, Chad Fischer, is also the composer of the Garden State score.

And keep an eye out for the official site here.