Braffs screenplay deserves merit..

Rating: 8/10 (19 April 2005)

In 2004, Zach Braff emerged as one of the year's best success stories. Braff, a star on NBC's TV sitcom Scrubs, found distribution for his pet project Garden State, which he wrote, directed and starred in.
In Garden State, Andrew Largeman (Braff) returns home to bury his mother in New Jersey after 10 years of living on the west coast as a struggling actor. He has been held down his entire life by anti-depression medications. On this trip back to his roots, he leaves behind the medication and his reservations. With the help of a few friends and a girl named Samantha, played by Natalie Portman, Andrew embarks on a journey to rediscover happiness and himself.
The screenplay for Garden State might not satisfy those who are looking for action and excitement. But, like Lost in Translation in 2003, Garden State is certainly a solid movie. No, nothing explodes, but if you're looking for engaging dialogue about self-discovery and an appealing story about a young man returning to his roots, this is the movie for you. Braff's screenplay is clever and witty and his characters have many layers.
The best thing about Garden State, as I've said before, is its intelligent look at life. One scene in particular illustrates this notion the best. When Andrew downs an ecstasy tablet at a party, he begins to observe the things going on around him. Things move quickly, then slowly, and back and forth, in and out as people go about their business. In his heightened state, Andrew begins to see things in perspective. As he sits on the couch, partygoers pass him by at lightning-speed; much like life passes us by as we sit and watch, oblivious to the fact.
It's these kinds of indirect metaphors that make Braff's script so incredible. Watch the pool scene, figure it out and you'll see why.
The acting is also high-level. Braff brings the perfect pitch to the character of Andrew, someone just recently freed of the medications that bound him for so many years. And although she'll dive back into Star Wars this spring, Portman helps to shed her "Queen Amidala" image with a quirky performance as Samantha. With mature and complex roles in 2004 films like Garden State and Closer, she shouldn't be in danger of being typecast.