Benumbed...from the inside out

Rating: 2/10 (10 July 2010)

"Garden State, written and directed by its star, Zach Braff, is the perfect movie for older teenagers who haven't seen a lot of movies. When a struggling twentysomething actor from Los Angeles returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral, he finds a vintage motorcycle out in his parents' garage (it was willed to him by his deceased uncle, but left forgotten under a tarp for no specific reason). Racing the bike up and down the street, the protagonist is immediately pulled over by a police car...driven by an old friend from high school! Braff's sensibilities all stem from a TV mentality. It turns out the actor is suffering from momentary migraines, which no doubt come from being medicated his entire young adult life. This guy is aching to FEEL something! It's quite possible the scene with the bike, or a following bit with a seeing-eye dog humping Braff's leg in the doctor's waiting room, will strike some viewers as fresh and funny, but the fake-cynicism bubbling underneath the movie's lo-fi tone is intolerable. Quirky conversations are struck up simply to reveal another layer of our hero's personality and makeup (his inner-struggle, his independence, etc.). Braff may indeed have some talent, but first he needs to acquire a sense of himself as an actor and a filmmaker, and stop channeling personalities (and situations) gleaned from the tube. This feels like a set of steak knives in need of being returned--it just isn't sharp enough. * from ****