I've always had a thing for Jewish boys, but Zach Braff is my favorite. He sealed the deal for me with Garden State. The mood and circumstances felt very familiar to me. It's because of this movie and my shameless adoration for him that I was convinced I needed to experience Medieval Times. Until Garden State, Medieval Times was just high school field trip I never took. Besides, I always thought the place thrived because men could get away with eating with their hands and calling women wenches.
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| Zach Braff |
But seeing actor Jim Parsons clinking through his morning walk of shame in full body armor, (see this link: HILARIOUS) the whole idea struck me as bizarre. When Mark (played by Peter Skarsgaard) finds out the knight was sleeping with his mother, Carol:
Carol: Mark, he's a knight.
Mark: He's just a fast food knight.
It pops up again later in the script:
Sam: He's my knight in shining armor.
Andrew Largeman: Don't talk about knights around Mark, it's a sore subject.
Mark: I'm gonna kill that motherfucker.
Andrew Largeman: Don't talk about knights around Mark, it's a sore subject.
Mark: I'm gonna kill that motherfucker.
Andrew Largeman: Pun intended?
Imagine my surprise hearing the really bad British accents and seeing a bar that served Schnapps cocktails in "collectors" plastic cups with swirly straws. But I'm glad I went. As the beer poured and a thousand chickens were being decimated by bare hands, people screamed for the knights, waving their greasy hands in the air. The long-haired horsemen waved their hands to much fanfare, and you could tell they were so proud. They lived for it, they grew their hair out for it.
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| a knight in the dining room |
While I'll probably never go again, I was so glad for the experience. The cheesy show was well-orchestrated, the enthusiasm was contagious and the food surprisingly tasty. And the next time (200th) I watch Garden State, it will feel all the more familiar.
