Quirky drama that hits the drama hard

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2010)

Actor Large (Braff) returns to attend his mother's funeral and when he meets Sam (Portman) he decides to stay home longer where he begins to rediscover his past.
The romantic genre was dominated in 2004 by a brilliantly different Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind which showcased two renowned stars in Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet playing a troubled couple who have memory erasure of each other and the film set and ideology kept intrigue right till the finale, much the way this does in a less obvious romance but a powerful drama.
Renowned funny man Zach Braff from Scrubs branched out into a starring film role and directional outing with this critic winning independent film that is finally shot and executed as a drama, combining genres well to leave the viewer feeling happy and rewarded as if stepping into a cold shower on a hot day.
Beginning with a montage of Large's life as an actor we can establish his character as a quiet man with not much enthusiasm for life that leaves his existence feeling rather empty and on his return to his home town, his life starts to change when he attends parties, speaks with his father and meets Natalie Portman's Sam, a quirky girl with her own personality and agenda to match.
As tackling the romance genre, this is perhaps a less obvious attempt at guy meets girl. There is plenty more going on to label it amongst the Hugh Grant brand of love stories. The screenplay tackles family drama and the struggle of the past that has hindered between the relationship of father and son. Whilst it isn't close to matching the works of a Pedro Almodovar, this is a brave attempt that isn't too complicated and isn't too far fetched. And whilst intentionally sad, doesn't generate as much sadness as perhaps it could have done.
Braff himself taking a step out of the brilliant Scrubs sitcom, demonstrates that he has the potential to do more than fall over in a hospital. He dives deep within his character to reflect on the struggle of guilt and forced loyalty to others. Because the American has tackled directing, writing and starring in the same film, you wonder whether he tackled a tad too much. There are moments when you think a stronger lead would have been required, and yet thankfully nothing hinders upon his direction.
The scene in the outer world as it were on top of the van screaming into the valley is great, the motorcycle sequences are done without fault and the first party he attends at home has all the right montages and shots to generate a feeling of uniqueness that reflects upon the isolation his character is feeling. Portman likewise may not be at her strongest but her character certainly has a few cool quirks, such as the concept of originality in the moment and her ability to tell lies.
The climax feels a tad thin and a conformity to the romance genre but what we have here is a drama that fulfils its purpose with dramatic real life construction of family and personal problems that encodes some humour along with a reflecting and relaxing soundtrack that epitomises the mood and is definitely worth catching.