DesiDabba - Boss, Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaye

It’s difficult to wade past the flotsam of action movies and older box office hits showing on Star Movies these days. Which is why it’s worth taking note when a really good movie like Garden State goes into rotation on Star World.

Garden State is a widely acclaimed indie film, written and directed by Zach Braff (who also acts in the TV show Scrubs). Frustrated by the lack of breaks he was getting in Hollywood, he wrote the movie as his starring vehicle – he also plays the main lead in it. There are several other fine actors in the film – there is Natalie Portman (who played Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels), the terrific Peter Saarsgard and one of my favorites Iain Holmes.

Garden State is leisurely paced, so don’t watch it if you are looking for a slam bang Saturday matinee. It’s a movie to be absorbed on a quiet, pensive Sunday afternoon. The performances are rock solid, the story is very engaging. And you’d think that Braff cast all these other fine actors to do some heavy lifting for him in his debut film.

So it was a huge surprise for me to find out that Braff’s is the strongest performance in the film. To understand exactly why, some background is necessary. Braff plays a struggling actor in LA who goes back home to a small town to attend to his mother’s funeral. He picks up the threads of his conflicted relationship with his father and also runs into some old friends and makes a new one (Portman).

When he arrives, he is heavily medicated for psychological reasons.
Through the movie, he heals himself and stops taking anti-depressants and sundry drugs. And what is remarkable about his acting is that he nails this transition physically and emotionally. His initial demeanor is cosmetically subdued; his speech measured but uncaring; his eyes glassy. As he goes gives up his medication and lets his body purge the drugs from his system, his behavior changes. He is more animated, more expansive in his reactions. All of this Braff incorporates into his performance – in other words, this transition plays out as a backdrop to the story.

It’s magnificent to watch a young actor play a role so well. I’m pretty sure Braff will never get a role so juicy again nor will he have the opportunity to show us his talent. But he can be proud of what he’s done in this movie. And it’s worth watching Garden State just to see this.