I’m not sure how he did it, but Zach Braff has parlayed a few television appearances in the late nineties into a starring role on “Scrubs” and his own feature film, “Garden State,” which he wrote and directed. Braff is pretty good on “Scrubs” but I think the writers (along with John C. McGinley) are the real stars of that series.
The thing that gets me is that someone is convinced that Braff’s characters are worthy of leading ladies like Heather Graham, Mandy Moore and, in “Garden State,” Natalie Portman. Braff is not a handsome man. Watching him woo these lovely ladies is testing the limits of my ability to suspend disbelief.
I recently watched “Garden State” for the second time and, while Braff did a reasonably good job with the story and directing, his acting was quite flat. I realize that his character is supposedly off his meds for the first time in years, but even that would make his character a little livlier.
Despite this, I would say that I moderately enjoyed the movie until the final scenes, where Braff and Portman declare their love for one another in the airport. I can’t believe this schmuck would even consider leaving a beauty like Portman to “sort things out” back in L.A.. The ending, especially the acting, is so incredulous that it basically ruins the movie for me.
But kudos to Braff for fulfilling his dream. I am impressed by his accomplishment (writing and directing your own feature is no small feat) but I am befuddled by its existence.
