I thought this was supposed to be good, but it's just another powerless quirk film.

Rating: 6/10 (27 February 2005)

When at a climax of a story where your hero must decide between love and something else, that something else must be worth going for, or else it's a pointless no-brainer of a decision that falls flat.
In this case, the guy was miserable, bored and empty in Hollywood. Then he goes to NJ and meets a girl and falls happily in love with her, and for some reason thinks it's worth even driving to the airport to go back to Hollywood. WHY???? It's FALSE DRAMA! Braff should either LOVE Hollywood, or get offered a dream-job in Hollywood, or just really hates New Jersey apart from Natalie Portman. This would fix the problem.
There's more! He's supposed to play an actor, but for the last 11 years, he's been on a drug that dulls all his emotions. If he can't feel emotions, how on earth could he have made it as an actor in a TV movie football drama, playing a memorable character? It's INCONSISTENT CHARACTER TRAITS! Also, when the guy in the trailer told Braff to enjoy exploring the infinite abyss...what the hell does that mean? Life isn't infinite, so it can't be that. Maybe he's referring to life's problems and how they never end. I don't know, but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the fact that the main character needs something to feel and care about.
It's POINTLESS PHILOSOPHY! This was a nicely directed weak story combining concepts from "Equilibrium", "Lost in Translation" and "The Royal Tenenbaums".
Overall, it's interesting with some fresh ideas, but weak on the drama. 6/10