Barbara's Random Thoughts

I'd seen a trailer for Garden State ages ago, the one with no dialogue whatsoever, just scenes from the movie under some awesome music. But it looked excellent.

I went to see it yesterday (the movie, that is, not the trailer), and I really liked it. There were parts that just hit home for me. And the music was great. As we sat there with the credits rolling, I said I had liked the movie, and Julie asked me if I would buy it. I said, "Probably not, but I'd like to get the soundtrack."

Then today I read Jeffrey Overstreet's review on his blog.

Braff gets too DJ-happy, like Cameron Crowe at his most indulgent... so busy formulating a great mix-disc soundtrack that it distracts from the whole.

Heh.

Overstreet has a point. And yet, I really did like Garden State, and not just for the music. It probably does rely a bit too much on music to convey emotion--a lazy way of getting around the "show, don't tell" rule, without really doing the actual showing. And yes, perhaps the moments of conversational epiphany were excessive and not entirely convincing, but I let myself be convinced because I wanted to be.

There's a conversation Andrew and Sam have where Andrew talks about the idea of home. How it's just an idea, a place that doesn't really exist for him.

You know that point in your life when you realize the house you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? That idea of home is gone. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place.

Home as an imaginary place is an idea that's just true for me at this point in my life. And there were many other moments in this movie that resonated with me. It's definitely worth seeing.

And seriously, great soundtrack.