I can be a spiteful bitch when it comes to movies. There are a lot off "off topic" conversation points, like Crash, Cloud Atlas, and anything that has to do with Kathryn Bigelow, because I honestly cannot have a serious discussion about any of those things without getting overly defensive or wickedly aggressive. It's a personal vice of mine, but I think there's some truth in saying that we are part of an all-or-nothing culture, and not just with movies. In an attempt to both combat this problem and make myself a better, less argumentative person, I'm introducing a new post theme: Gray Areas. Every post will choose a movie and explain, not why it is good or bad, but what it is good or bad at. Or sometimes I may just choose a movie that is universally accepted as a bad movie and make a case for it (Clue, anyone?).
I decided to start with a movie that is educational in its bad-ness: Garden State. There are a thousand clichéd but true adages that Zach Braff chose to ignore when writing and directing his debut film, but the one he chose to obey is "write what you know", and that's what ultimately drags down the whole product. In an interview with IGN Filmforce in 2004, Braff explained the source of his inspiration.
I decided to start with a movie that is educational in its bad-ness: Garden State. There are a thousand clichéd but true adages that Zach Braff chose to ignore when writing and directing his debut film, but the one he chose to obey is "write what you know", and that's what ultimately drags down the whole product. In an interview with IGN Filmforce in 2004, Braff explained the source of his inspiration.
"Well, I went to film school and I wanted to and I started thinking about what my first feature would be and I knew all the things I didn't want it to be, and so I decided I wanted to do something really personal, and for me, this is what I was going through in my twenties, these are the problems I was sort of obsessing about and worrying about and I decided well, why don't I, since what I know is coming home as a actor who hasn't worked much, why don't I write that story?"
Garden State, at its heart, is well-intentioned enough (I mean, can't every teenager relate to it?), but it's the perfect example of How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Really Trying. You can succeed as a new filmmaker by simply writing what you know, even if what you know is uninspired and trying too hard to be quirky. I think the real reason people don't always recognize just how bad the screenplay is due to the fact it's disguised by great cinematography and a soundtrack that's not half bad. Still, it's a movie about adolescent wish-fulfillment featuring the hated Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I've stated before how ready I am for this term to die out, but I need to reanimate it one last time to explain Sam, the oddball love interest played by Natalie Portman. Sam is just a vehicle for Largeman's emotional epiphany. She's shallow, as if she had never existed before Andrew entered her life, and her construction makes every quirk and "flaw" only serve to redeem him. But there are plenty of movies with similar characters populating their scenes which I actually enjoy. (500) Days of Summer, Almost Famous, The Apartment... So it's neither fair nor reasonable to blame my dislike on a girl who buries her dead pet hamsters.
Maybe it's the egregious use of quirky bits that contribute to what makes this film so irresistible to high-school kids. Army-style motorcycle with sidecar attached. Upside-down diploma on the wall. Ice skating Alligator. Wallpaper shirt. Ecstasy. There are so many wacky props piled on top of each other that serve no purpose to the plot, and only clutter the emotions in the film.
Then there's the soundtrack. I have no problem with a director injecting his own personal taste into the soundtrack, sometimes it helps to build a reputation as an auteur with a sure aesthetic, sometimes it's just kind of nice to listen to what seems like a mixtape he's made especially for you. Wes Anderson does a good job with this- his movies are definitely Kink-heavy just like Braffs are Shins-heavy, but he doesn't openly endorse or draw attention to that fact, and the songs compliment the shots well. I actually think that the moment in Rushmore when Blume looks over at his flirtatious wife, cigarette dangling out of his mouth, and "Nothin' in This World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl" starts playing is one of the best examples of matching music to scene ever. But Back to Garden State. The movie relies too heavily on the soundtrack. There was a video clip (that has since been literally erased from the internet by FOX) called "Garden State Tip Drill" that sought to prove this point by replacing "New Slang" in the famous headphones scene with Nelly's "Tip Drill". It's fine to have an interesting soundtrack, George Lucas, but when the soundtrack starts making up for a weak plot, that's when the problems begin.
Look, Garden State has an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, so I'm probably in the minority here. I concede that it is beautifully made, and Peter Sarsgaard is well-cast, but the script presents too many problems and the direction presents too much of Zach Braff's face.
Oh, and because I didn't quit being a spiteful bitch cold turkey, I have to bring up the film's working title: Large's Ark. At least Braff had enough good sense to realize that mistake.
Maybe it's the egregious use of quirky bits that contribute to what makes this film so irresistible to high-school kids. Army-style motorcycle with sidecar attached. Upside-down diploma on the wall. Ice skating Alligator. Wallpaper shirt. Ecstasy. There are so many wacky props piled on top of each other that serve no purpose to the plot, and only clutter the emotions in the film.
Then there's the soundtrack. I have no problem with a director injecting his own personal taste into the soundtrack, sometimes it helps to build a reputation as an auteur with a sure aesthetic, sometimes it's just kind of nice to listen to what seems like a mixtape he's made especially for you. Wes Anderson does a good job with this- his movies are definitely Kink-heavy just like Braffs are Shins-heavy, but he doesn't openly endorse or draw attention to that fact, and the songs compliment the shots well. I actually think that the moment in Rushmore when Blume looks over at his flirtatious wife, cigarette dangling out of his mouth, and "Nothin' in This World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl" starts playing is one of the best examples of matching music to scene ever. But Back to Garden State. The movie relies too heavily on the soundtrack. There was a video clip (that has since been literally erased from the internet by FOX) called "Garden State Tip Drill" that sought to prove this point by replacing "New Slang" in the famous headphones scene with Nelly's "Tip Drill". It's fine to have an interesting soundtrack, George Lucas, but when the soundtrack starts making up for a weak plot, that's when the problems begin.
Look, Garden State has an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, so I'm probably in the minority here. I concede that it is beautifully made, and Peter Sarsgaard is well-cast, but the script presents too many problems and the direction presents too much of Zach Braff's face.
Oh, and because I didn't quit being a spiteful bitch cold turkey, I have to bring up the film's working title: Large's Ark. At least Braff had enough good sense to realize that mistake.