It's always fun, not to mention refreshing, when you discover new talent. By "discover," I mean in the Chris Columbus way (where others already know something exists, but the bigger population doesn't) rather than in the Eureka! talent scout sort of fashion.
Such newfound talent is usually young and needs to be nourished, coached and seasoned for success. Sometimes, however, it's a bit older and stems from someone trying something new. An example of the latter would be Zach Braff who's taken an amended detour from his regular profession to direct "Garden State."
For those who don't recognize the name, Braff plays Dr. John Dorian on the TV show "Scrubs" and has appeared in films such as "The Broken Hearts Club" and "Manhattan Murder Mystery." He now adds writer and director to his resume with this quirky, imaginative and generally decent offering in which he also happens to star.
Something of a younger cousin to "American Beauty," the film features a young man -- Braff -- who's disillusioned with himself and life. He then tries to reconnect with both while facing tough family issues and meeting up with friends both new and old.
The opening scene -- in which the protagonist calmly sits amongst panicked airline passengers as their flight appears to be headed for serious trouble -- is obviously symbolic of his disengaged state (that's only exacerbated by his prescription medication induced calm).
We soon realize that the brief sequence isn't real, and it's just one of the many artistic flourishes that Braff has inserted into his film of self-discovery. It's a welcome relief to see a new filmmaker who isn't too cautious or conservative with their first time up at bat, but also doesn't shoot his or her film like a 100 plus minute music video.
You can see that thought and creativity have been carefully considered for inclusion, and the result is refreshing and fairly original. That's not to say, however, that it's a cinematic home run, let alone perfect. Purposeful or not, the film has an obvious episodic look and feel to it.
There are also scenes -- notably one where Method Man ("Soul Plane," "My Baby's Daddy") plays a bellhop who allows paying customers to watch hotel guests having sex -- that simply feel out of place and are likely to elicit a reaction of "Huh?" and "What was that?" Others feel a bit too quirky or whimsical and come off as being too obvious or concerned about being seen that way.
The one quirky element that works rather well, though, is the character embodied by the terrific Natalie Portman ("Where the Heart Is," the new "Star Wars" films). Imaginatively drawn and portrayed, Sam is a catalyst for prodding the protagonist into changing and there's good -- and more importantly -- believable chemistry between Portman and Braff.
He's playing a character who's only now just starting to come out of the medicinal stupor that's been hanging over him for more than a decade. That presumably makes the character a bit easier for Braff to play -- perhaps so that he can focus some of his energies elsewhere concerning the production -- but he's nevertheless decent in the part.
As is Peter Sarsgaard ("Shattered Glass," "The Salton Sea") as his childhood friend/gravedigger who engages in his own form of "medicinal" therapy when not leading a less than scrupulous lifestyle. The great Ian Holm ("The Day After Tomorrow," the "Lord of the Rings" films) brings a definite sense of class to the proceedings playing the protagonist's estranged father. It's too bad then, that it seems that some of the footage featuring their tenuous reunion and subsequent interaction possibly ended up on the cutting room floor (or maybe was never shot).
That could be a sign of a first-time filmmaker who isn't sure what to keep and what to jettison. While there are plenty of moments that I liked or at least appreciated, others easily could have been shortened if not excised altogether. If there's one other related complaint, it's that the story doesn't feel as tight as it should, and instead somewhat rambles its way from start to finish.
I supposed that's how life is -- especially when one is searching for the answers about it and oneself -- but with a little tightening and polishing, this potentially could have been a minor classic. As it stands, it's a decent debut that one can only hope is a harbinger of even better filmmaking to come from this new talent. "Garden State" rates as a 6 out of 10.
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