WHO MADE IT? | Director: Zach Braff Cast: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm | WHAT'S IT ABOUT? | Depressive small-time TV actor Andrew (Braff) returns home to New Jersey from Los Angeles for his mother’s funeral. During the days that follow, he catches up with old friends, makes new ones and tries to resolve some of the issues that have haunted him since childhood. A confrontation with his Dad (Holm) and a chance encounter with the flighty Sam (Portman) give him the confidence he needs to face life with a new vigour. | WHAT'S IT LIKE? | The pet project of the star of TV’s Scrubs starts off promisingly in the vein of the offbeat hospital comedy. But within minutes, all the originality and flair are replaced by a warm but rather bog-standard drama about self-discovery. Within the framework of a drama, the surreal supporting characters seem out of place. It’s all rather earnest and tends to take itself far too seriously. It’s perhaps the kiss of death for any film to use this word, but the feeling you come away with is that it’s “nice.” | GARDEN STATE opens December 10 2004
