i went into garden state with dangerously high expectations, but was not disappointed. i managed to avoid all reviews and most of the information about the film, so i went in only really knowing what is in the trailers (which is not much, plot-wise). okay, i was a little disappointed that some of the most clever cinematography was included in the trailer, so it didn’t have the same impact it might have had if it were completely fresh in-context, but that’s a pretty minor nit. the comedy is really understated, and the movie is pretty deliberately paced, but it all really works. (and natalie portman is really cute….)