'Garden' flourishes with solid cast

Zach Braff is one talented cat. Having only seen his hit sitcom "Scrubs" a few times, my expectations of "Garden State," the actor's writing and directorial debut, were minimal -- this, in spite of a truly tantalizing trailer. Lo and behold, the film is one of this year's best and serves as the pronouncement for an exciting, emerging cinematic talent.\nA hodgepodge of seminal '60s flick "The Graduate," overlooked '90s gem "Beautiful Girls," the works of Wes Anderson and last year's critical darling "Lost in Translation," "Garden State" focuses on Andrew "Large" Largeman (Braff). Large is an aspiring L.A.-based actor with one auspicious credit to his name -- he played a retarded quarterback in a made-for-television movie. For the time being he's working at a Thai restaurant, which requires him to apply black makeup beneath his eyes in hopes of looking more Asian. Large floats through life in a haze of Zoloft, Paxil and Xanax, all prescribed by his psychiatrist father, Gideon (the irreplaceable Ian Holm). That is, until his paraplegic mother drowns in the bathtub and he's beckoned home to New Jersey for the first time in nine years. Large, feeling numb to the fact that his mother's just died and more so to life in general, discontinues the use of his meds prior to leaving.\nWhile at his mother's funeral, Large runs into an old high school buddy, Mark (Peter Sarsgaard), who happens to be working as a gravedigger. Mark, while perfectly intelligent and capable, prefers to busy himself with bong hits, collecting Gulf War trading cards, pilfering corpses' jewelry and nagging the mother (Jean Smart) with whom he still lives. Together, the two spend a night exploring the debaucherous underbelly of suburban Jersey. Soon thereafter, Large meets Sam (Natalie Portman), a cute as a button compulsive liar with epilepsy and a jones for The Shins. Amid her freewheeling ways, Large learns to embrace life. \nSaccharine as this might sound, it's not. "Garden State," while derivative of some of its forebears, is an eccentric, intelligent dramedy. From top to bottom, Braff's capable cast and sharp script shine. The slick cinematography and editing of relative newcomers Lawrence Sher and Myron I. Kerstein coupled with the imaginative production design of indie stalwart Judy Becker make for one visually arresting flick. The soundtrack also kicks ass. Shortcomings are minimal: Method Man makes an ill-timed cameo, Holm is underused but still good and the middle lags a tad. Otherwise, this 'Garden' is akin to Eden.