All Things Braff

Rating: 7/10 (28 September 2010)

A struggling young actor returns to his home town in New Jersey to attend his mother's funeral and connects with friends old and new. This is an offbeat comedy-drama that has its moments but doesn't really rise above mediocrity. Besides his starring role, Braff makes a promising debut as director and writer, although he does not excel in any of the three facets and the film comes across as somewhat of an ego trip. As an actor, he relies too much on his deadpan look for laughs. The script fails to sustain interest and shifts uneasily between comedy and drama. Portman is interesting if a bit too goofy as an unstable young woman he meets and falls in love with.