Garden State (movie)
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Garden State
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Garden_State_Poster.jpg
Promotional poster for Garden State
| Director | Zach Braff |
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| Screenplay | Zach Braff |
| Producers | Pamela Adby, Bill Brown, Danny DeVito |
| Published | January 16, 2004 (Sundance Film Festival) |
| MPAA Rating | R |
| Color / BW | Color |
| Aspect Ratio | 2.35 : 1 |
| Runtime | 109 minutes |
| Sound | Dolby Digital |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
Garden State is a 2004 film written, directed by, and starring Zach Braff. The movie also stars Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm. The title of the film is a reference to where a large portion of the film was filmed, New Jersey.
The movie was filmed over 25 days in April and May 2003 and released on July 30, 2004. It was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival.
The film is rated R for "language, drug use and a scene of sexuality."
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Plot summary
The quirky film unfolds as a week in the life of its protagonist, Andrew Largeman (played by Braff), a passive 20-something member of Generation Y, comfortably numbed by medication. He's a struggling actor who returns to his hometown in New Jersey after receiving word of the death of his paraplegic mother. Andrew has been heavily medicated by his psychiatrist father (played by Holm) since the age of ten, when he accidentally contributed to the cause of his mother's paraplegia.
He reconnects with several friends he hasn't seen since he left nine years earlier, particularly Mark (played by Sarsgaard). He also meets Sam (played by Portman), an epileptic. They become friends and cautiously initiate a romance, despite one another's flaws and things that they don't understand in their environment. Together, in an innocent (but considered by some to be slightly forced and melodramatic) ending to the story, they seem to discover that life is worth living, even when it hurts, and the importance of being with the one you love.
Cast & crew
GardenStateDVDcover.jpg
Cast:
- Zach Braff - Andrew "Large" Largeman
- Ian Holm - Gideon Largeman
- Peter Sarsgaard - Mark
- Alex Burns - Dave
- Michael Weston - Kenny
- Armando Riesco - Jesse
- Natalie Portman - Sam
Crew:
- Director - Zach Braff
- Producers - Pamela Abdy, Bill Brown, Danny DeVito, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted, Richard Klubeck and Michael Shamberg
- Cinematography - Lawrence Sher
- Editor - Myron Kerstein
- Production Design - Judy Becker
Trivia
- Natalie Portman was Braff's first choice for the role of Sam, but he never thought he would get her.
- The film's script is based on Braff's own childhood in New Jersey and his days as a struggling actor, before landing a role on NBC's comedy Scrubs.
- Zach Braff originally titled this movie "Large's Ark". He tested the name on various messengers coming to his house during production, but none liked the name. When he suggested "Large" no one liked it either. "Garden State" was well received.
- Gary Gilbert financed the film with $2.5 million of his own money. Upon the show's release at Sundance, the film was purchased by Miramax and Fox Searchlight for $5 million.
- The cue for the seeing-eye dog to mount was, "Love 'em up," while the cue for the dog to start humping was, "Who's your bitch?"
- The tomb stones in the pet cemetery were made by the cast and crew, and feature their own deceased pets' names.
Film locations
Most of the film was shot in Braff's hometown of New Jersey - however various shots were also done in New York and Los Angeles.
New Jersey:
- Cranford, New Jersey
- Livingston, New Jersey
- Newark, New Jersey
- South Orange, New Jersey
- Tenafly, New Jersey
- Wallington, New Jersey
New York:
California:
Soundtrack
Listing:
- Coldplay - "Don't Panic"
- The Shins - "Caring Is Creepy"
- Zero 7 - "In The Waiting Line"
- The Shins - "New Slang"
- Colin Hay - "I Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You"
- Cary Brothers - "Blue Eyes"
- Remy Zero - "Fair"
- Nick Drake - "One Of These Things First"
- Thievery Corporation - "Lebanese Blonde"
- Simon And Garfunkel - "The Only Living Boy In New York"
- Iron And Wine - "Such Great Heights"
- Frou Frou - "Let Go"
- Bonnie Somerville - "Winding Road"
Technical specs
- Camera: Panavision
- Film negative format (mm/video inches): 35 mm
- Printed film format: 35 mm
- Cinematographic process: Super 3
- Aspect ratio: 2.35 : 1
See also
External links
- Official website (http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/gardenstate/)
- Zach Braff's Garden State Blog (http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/gardenstate/blog/)
- Template:Imdb title
- Information on Garden State (http://movies.go.com/movies/G/gardenstate_2004/) from Movies.com
- Anatomy of a Scene (http://www.sundancechannel.com/anatomy/scene.php?ixContent=6698), from the Sundance Channel website
- Teaser trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/garden_state/) from Apple's websitefr:Garden State