A delightful slice of life

Rating: 8/10 (12 December 2018)

Aspiring actor Andrew 'Large' Largeman hasn't been home in nine years but he returns for his mother's funeral. Here he sees his father, who is also his psychiatrist, and it is clear their relationship is frosty. He also meets up with old friends and makes one new friend, Sam. Sam is a girl he got chatting to in a doctor's waiting room. Having left his medication at home he decides not to get more and starts feeling emotions that had been numbed for some time.
This isn't the easiest film to categorise; it has plenty of funny moments without forced gags; it has emotional moments and it has romance, even that doesn't develop too quickly. Instead it looks like a glimpse into Andrew's life at a point where things are likely to change. The main characters are interesting without feeling exaggerated. The cast is impressive; Zach Braff, who also wrote and directed, does a fine job as Andrew and Natalie Portman is very likeable as Sam. Overall I'd recommend this to people not requiring action and obvious gags but wanting a gentler, 'real' film.