Garden State (2004)
88%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: 13 wins & 39 nominations
Delivering a quirky spin on familiar twentysomething tropes — with a cannily-placed soundtrack — Garden State has enough charm to mark a winning debut for first-time director Zach Braff
If you’re looking for a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and question your own existence, then Garden State is the perfect film for you. With a cast of lovable characters and a soundtrack that will make you want to dance in a garbage bag, this movie captures the essence of what it means to be a lost twenty-something trying to find your way in the world. And if you’re not a fan of Paul Simon or Nick Drake, well, we can’t be friends.
Production Company(ies)
Das Films, David Sonenberg Production Polygram Filmed Entertainment,
Distributor
Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Wallington, New Jersey, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, drug use and a scene of sexuality
Year of Release
2004
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):English, Klingon
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 24, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
Garden State, Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, Ron Leibman, Method Man, Ann Dowd, Pamela Abdy, Richard Klubeck, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted, Comedy, R, English, Fox, Surround, Dolby Digital, $26.8M, reviewed by Will Self, Jason Bailey, Christy Lemire, Nell Minow, Todd McCarthy, Geoff Andrew, Cory Woodroof, Richard Propes, Nick Rogers, Felix Vasquez Jr., Cole Smithey, Urban Cinefile Critics, coming-of-age, self-discovery, malaise, young adulthood, small-time actor, antidepressants, New Jersey, funeral, family issues, quirky, romantic comedy, deadpan, alienation, soundtrack, emotional, charm, charisma, witty, smart, serious, surreal, Graduate, box office, debut, directorial, writer
Worldwide gross: $35,825,316
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $56,513,949
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,276
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,162,917
US/Canada gross: $26,782,316
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $42,248,740
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,143
US/Canada opening weekend: $201,115
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $317,256
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,520
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,943,716
Production budget ranking: 1,947
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,123,691
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $50,446,542
ROI to date (est.): 831%
ROI ranking: 158
Ian Holm – Gideon Largeman
Ron Leibman – Dr. Cohen
Method Man – Diego
Natalie Portman – Sam
Ann Dowd – Olivia
Director(s)
Zach Braff
Writer(s)
Zach Braff
Producer(s)
Pamela Abdy, Richard Klubeck, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
13 wins & 39 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (192) | Top Critics (51) | Fresh (165) | Rotten (27)
On the basis that it behoves all of us to keep a little nugget of our 15-year-old selves locked up in our breasts, I’m going to say this is a loveable film and that you should all go and see it to awake your inner adolescent.
December 20, 2017
Will Self
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Braff captures the specific, self-involved ennui of the aimless 20-something, and he doesn’t do it from a point of smug detachment.
June 21, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
November 7, 2011 | Rating: A
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Smart drama for mature older teens and up.
December 24, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
Feels too piecemeal and ultimately inconsequential to grab the public where it counts.
March 26, 2009
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
This is a movie where ‘sensitivity’ and ‘sincerity’ are signposted by songs by Paul Simon and Nick Drake, which I guess says it all.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The fact that the pinnacle of this film puts the three lead characters in garbage bags yelling nonsense into the air is much more scathing than any review that could ever be written.
June 15, 2022
Cory Woodroof
615 Film
I found myself experiencing fits of laughter and tears for a good two hours following my viewing of Garden State.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
It’s no longer a generational alarm clock, but for those who’ve seen loved ones stumble through complacent fogs of Paxil, Zoloft and the like, “Garden State” still warns that “stability” doesn’t mean a numbness to anything not emotionally even-keeled.
September 24, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap
There is not a shot in this movie that doesn’t shine…
April 29, 2009
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
Actor Zach Braff (NBC’s “Scrubs”) makes an impressive if unsatisfying writing and directing debut with a plaintive post-modern drama that relies on unspoken dry wit to entertain its audience (think a cross between “Harold and Maude” and “The Graduate”).
April 18, 2009 | Rating: C
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Braff, who also wrote and directs, tells this story with great flair, lots of subtlety and a wonderfully paced set of revelations that come to us just as they might in real life.
October 18, 2008
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile…
Plot
After returning to his hometown for his mother’s funeral, Andrew Largeman reconnects with old friends and meets a new love interest, Sam, as he confronts the various aspects of the life he left behind in Garden State.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The critic consensus mentions the “cannily-placed soundtrack” of Garden State.
Zach-Braff.jpg
