Pretty good; has faults

Rating: 5/10 (6 September 2004)

I agree with those who've commented that it was good, particularly for an actor/writer/director's first time out of the gate, but nothing earth-shattering. The film had some very funny and heartfelt moments. The dialog was often quick and sharp, the cinematography was great throughout the film, and for the most part it loped forward in a way that I found very endearing and easy to watch.
But often, I got sidetracked by the fact that the plot and characters seemed contrived, flip, and too just quirky. Take Sam. She was so pervasively off-the-wall and uber-cute she simply wasn't believable. (did anyone else get the paradox of Joseph Arthur on vinyl?) I spent the bulk of the film feeling as though I were trapped in a room with an overly-loud hyperactive 13 year-old who does require medication. Or Large, and the fact that he miraculously transformed from a marshmallow to a wise-cracker in just a few short days after 15 years on an anti-depressant, anti-convulsant, anti-psychotic cocktail strong enough to sedate a horse. And Large's confrontation with his father, who for all intents and purposes was no more present than a piece of furniture, was a bit too forced for me.
Additionally, other "messages" and their delivery,(existential, familial and otherwise), were served up in a manner that was often a little heavy handed (I'm thinking of the captain's return comment about the great abyss), and the movie seemed to volley from somber to light in a way that wasn't at all fluid. I've seen other movies do this well- Lost in Translation and Dummy, for example.
That all being said, I am probably being overly critical of this movie as a contrary view to all the "best movie I've ever seen" reviews so far. I do think it was fun, very entertaining, and no girl can complain about looking at close-ups of Zach Braff for 2 hours, center-part and all. But it has a lot of faults that detracted from this viewer's pleasure. Hopefully in time Braff will write, direct, and star in something even more impressive.
p.s. was anyone else bothered by what appeared to be a vast age difference between Braff and Portman, who are supposed to be contemporaries? I know in reality they not incredibly far apart in age, but more often than not, I had to push myself beyond the thought that he was a middle-aged perv with what appeared to be a high-school girl. Braff looks old for his years and Portman looks very young, and her character made her seem even younger. I know casting against a much younger actress is normal- again, Lost in Translation, for example- but here it seemed strange because they are supposed to be contemporaries.