Singing Loudly

Yesterday I went to see Garden State with a girl who I stopped dating a few months ago. While it was certainly a good movie it might not have been the best choice for two people who used to have budding feelings for each other. Somehow it didn't connect to me that there was also a little love story in the film.

Don't worry, that shouldn't be a spoiler. It is readily apparent from both the print ads and TV spots, but in typical Curtis fashion I wasn't paying any attention to that. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I got. It is a good movie that is very well-written. I think that the editing of the film was a little rough, but I still enjoyed it overall.

Despite any superfluous feelings I might have experienced, the movie itself is quite touching. I only laughed aloud a couple times, but I did feel a lot of sorrow and also joy for the characters. Zach does a great job in developing characters that are believable and interesting. I found myself feeling sad during parts of the film where Zach didn't try to push the sadness. There are definitely scenes where he tries to force you into feeling for the characters, which I don't think work as well as scenes. However, when it is just natural Zach does a good job with letting the script and acting bring out the emotions of the characters in a non-abrasive way.

I would offer examples to illustrate, however, I would feel bad about revealing even the smaller surprises. This really is a movie that you ought to experience first hand. My problem was that I expected a brilliant film because of all the hype and it was not able to live up to my imagination. That said, it's a good film, it's enjoyable, you might find some good music, and hopefully leave feeling like you've been able to glimpse into a world where you wouldn't mind living. At least that is what the movie did for me.