Intermission: Zach Braff blooms as 'Garden State' director

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

Zach Braff is probably best known to TV viewers by way of the sitcom "Scrubs," but with "Garden State" he pulls off an artistic hat trick by writing, directing and starring in one of the most engaging films of the year.

In the broad sense, the plot of "Garden State" may not sound all too original. But the devil, they say, is in the details. It's been billed as "The Graduate, 2004" which is a bit odd as there's no Mrs. Robinson character. I was reminded more of two recent off-beat romances, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Pieces of April."

Braff's script as well as the actor himself, who is in virtually every scene should get notice come next March's Oscar ceremony. The film caused a stir at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and has been gaining momentum in its somewhat limited release. It is hoped that by the time you read this it will be running in Springfield. I saw it at the Branson Meadows Theater. It was worth the trip.

Braff plays Andrew Largeman, and the character is somewhat reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate." Andrew is a struggling actor who does more waiting on tables in L.A. than he does acting. He has had one high profile TV role: Playing and this becomes a running gag in the film a "retarded quarterback."

Like Benjamin Braddock, Andrew seems numbed and angst-ridden by society at large. A glimpse in his medicine cabinet early in the film gives the audience a clue as to what causes some of the numbness.

Andrew has a bizarre dream in which he's on a plane that is obviously about to crash. As other passengers enter various stages of panic, Andrew calmly adjusts the airflow vent above him.

Soon Andrew is on a real flight. He's going back to his hometown in New Jersey (for those unlearned in state nicknames, Jersey is known as "The Garden State"). He hasn't been home in nine years, and this isn't a pleasure trip. His mother, a paraplegic, has drowned in her bathtub and Andrew is going back for the funeral.

Upon his arrival the story begins to unfold about Andrew's (rather bizarre) past. His father, played by Ian Holm, is cold and distant. He's also Andrew's psychiatrist and is responsible for Andrew being on lithium for a surprising number of years. Dad blames his wife's paralysis on Andrew. Andrew blames a faulty latch on an automatic dishwasher.

At the funeral, Andrew runs into a couple of old high school buddies. They're sitting on a backhoe, and Andrew learns they are now gravediggers. They're going to do the honors for Andrew's mom. One of the pair, Mark, (played by the excellent Peter Sarsgaard) is a confirmed stoner and invites Andrew to a get-together. The party is a night of alcohol, pot, ecstasy and adult spin-the-bottle. A good way to unwind after your mom's funeral, I guess. At any rate, it makes for some great scenes.

We soon meet Mark's mom, Carol, played by Jean Smart, who looks as young as when she was a regular on "Designing Women." Carol is a free spirit and is having an affair with one of Mark's and Andrew's old high school buddies. The guy wears a full suit of armor at breakfast. Don't ask

Andrew goes back to his dad's house and tells him about some strange intense but very brief headaches he's been having. He also tells him that since coming back to New Jersey he's stopped taking his lithium. Dad is not pleased.

When Andrew goes to see a local neurosurgeon (who suggests Andrew might want to get a new psychiatrist) he meets a young woman in the waiting room. Played by the radiant Natalie Portman, Sam is another in the long line of off-kilter hometown folks Andrew encounters. She seems to hold more for him than the others, however. The two become fast friends. It's obvious that Andrew wants to take it farther.

The couple spends the next several days together. They go to a party at Albert's (another one of Andrew's childhood pals) mansion. Albert has gotten fabulously wealthy as the inventor of "silent Velcro." Don't ask ...

After an engaging chat and a beautifully shot scene by the huge fireplace, Andrew and Sam become something more than friends.

There are too many quirky characters and scenes, too much clever, quick dialogue, to try to explain, and some critics have noted that the film may be trying too hard to be quirky for the sake of quirkiness. I disagree. I found "Garden State" to be not only very funny but very poignant as well. The chemistry between Portman and Braff is palpable on screen. The rest of the cast members, most notably Sarsgaard, are great as well and seem to be relishing their roles.