Low Budget

Is Garden State a Chick Flick?

Arguably, the character is a guy, working out issues with his mother, while in a developing romance with a somewhat crazy woman. According to the generally accepted Chick Flick Indicia Scale, those factors put this at about a seven. Still, I saw it by accident. We’d been planning to see Collateral. But somebody got the time screwed up and the only well-reviewed movie starting within an hour of our arrival was Garden State.
I had no idea what the movie was about, I just know that somehow Natalie Portman ends up screaming while wearing a football jersey and the rain pours down around her. Now Natalie Portman is heavily tainted by the whole Star Wars thing, but she can really act.
Anyway, I was with the main character as he slowly emerged from an almost comatose level of slacker-dom in spite of the fact that his mother had just died. We slowly understand more about his life as he re-connects with old friends in the small town he had long left behind.
There was a genuine nature to the goings on, and when Natalie Portman shows up, even though romance is clearly in the air, she’s enough of a quirky character to keep the movie on the fun/interesting level. It is never about the romance angle. So I’m saying it’s not a chick flick.
But, in conversation today, a woman asks a guy: “have you seen Garden State?”
Stupidly, I interject that I have, in fact, seen it.
The guy says: “I’m not dating anybody, why would I go see that?”
Another guy, off to the side, says: “Total Chickus Flickus.”
Me, I withdraw my claim to having seen it.
Next time I’ll say I meant “Garden State Massacre.”
Ruling: not a chick flick on the merits, but is totally a chick flick on reputation. Which counts.

posted by dan @ 9/27/2004 11:47:00 AM