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something good grows in jersey ! to the poor outnumbered souls who seem to be blind to the many varied charms and pleasures of this very sweet intelligent witty & very well done movie-- i have only pity and thank providence i am not one of them ! the movie had me in stitches a few times----that flaming arrow !! her brother ! the horny seeing eye dog- in addition to scenes of real warmth & tenderness scenes that brought me to tears-- the last one in the airport !!!!!AND the crafty editing-- the production values-----the whole low key character driven angle of it all---- a gem of a movie--- much like the well done spotless mind movie jim carrie handled so well---but this guy wrote this directed it and stars in it-- and i was quite happy to enter the garden state and go along for the ride !!!( i kinda like new jersey lately ! ) i learned in college something i never forgot-- some professor told us drama must involve a character changing--- this more than qualifies and has many laughs along the way--- braff is an intelligent funny guy--- he wrote a great little script here-- little only in the sense that it has no explosions car chases hordes of extras no international intrigue--no pretensions-- what it does have is great ensemble players inhabiting convincing if quirky( its a movie !!! ) characters bringing them to life with all the wit and charm of its auteur ! and his first time out-- very well done indeed --- (someone was comparing this effort to others like stanley kubrik ! along w bertolucci ( who only after many years finally got one right !! the last emporer !! brilliant !!!! ) kubrik is the most over rated blowhard director ever !! a crackpot who almost made good movies like lolita-good thanks to the brilliance of james mason and shelley winters- 2001 and the funny bomb one----but he always botched them up in the end-somehow- i`m not saying he wasnt perhaps some kind of genius---- i`m just saying his movies were either utter nonsense like the last one he made-or he ruined even the decent 3 i mentioned ---but he wasnt into creating charmng witty heartwarming movies and couldnt if he wanted to ! but i digress ! this movie is about waking up coming back to life- finding love----nothing new you say- aha but it is new ! love is always new-- to those whom it finds and turns inside out ! and ms portman who braff aparently had to squeeze more sweetness out of--more than once---when necessary to his vision -and did so quite masterfully----- because he knew what he wanted and how to get it- and because ms portman like virtually everyone in this movie down to the extras - delivers the goods in spades !! jean smart brings her usual sexy brilliance to the set with her-- as a very modern if a bit twisted mother to an old friend of his--- another well wrought character in his own right--- played perfectly by peter sarsgaard--- and ian holm who is so brillaint an actor he doesnt need lines to do what he does so well---- he can act !!! ( i was first truly amazed by mr holm in tarzan greystoke---- a movie that is so underrated in my opinion--- just watching him shave and teaching tarzan shaving---- --- his every gesture a revelation -- hes not wasted here either !! ) all in all a real surprise of a movie--- that thanks to people w vision and the great gifts necesasary to get something like this done ! kudos to the producers for knowing what a real gem this whole idea of mr braffs was--- for getting it done for letting him do it his way-- for all the game players in front of and behind the scenes--- as one mogul once said--- u just need one good scene to make a decent movie-- 2 or 3 and its something special---- well this is a pearl necklace-- for those with ears and eyes and sensibilities still intact & not driven into the numb oblivion our culture can deliver so many of us too to-if we are not careful-or like our protagonist numbed by well meaning parents-- who often misguidedly mummify their kids w zoloft lithium ritilin or what have u- quick fixes and good intentions that ultimately turn so many into zombies ! some may be helped-- but thats another movie ! this movie is a delight -- it touches on serious issues--- but its a funny tear jerking ride i thoroughly enjoyed-- thanks dude and atta boy zach and yer whole assembled gang of cohorts !!!!!!