intriguing premise....disappointing climax!

Rating: Null/10 (21 June 2004)

first of all, i would like to say that zach braff has made a GREAT movie for a first time writer/director. the writing is subtle and the placing of the camera is great......not to forget that natalie portman gives a stunning performance......her best since THE PROFESSIONAL. the story has been told before - young man, depressed, returns home after a long phase, meets and falls in love with a girl who makes him re-evaluate his life and who he is. the chemistry between braff & portman is genuine - subtle, sweet & real.
however, when it comes to the film's climax, braff loses touch with subtlety by spoon-feeding the audience to make his point. this is ironic since throughout the movie, braff was subtle, which is rare in dramedies these days. anyways, the movie does live up to its post-sundance hype..........it'll be interesting to see how it'll fare with the critics and the audiences when it's released on July 30th