I'm a big fan of Zach Braff's first film Garden State, but this one just didn't do enough to really grab me. The story is written well enough and the characters are acted well, especially Kate Hudson and Braff himself, but this film lacks the clever visuals that his first film had. Gone are the intricate camera rigs or well-thought out shot lists and in their place are locked cameras and stiff special effects shots meant to be endearing but end up being easily forgettable. The film often plays out as a melodramatic television show and not the heartfelt movie it's trying to be. I enjoyed it, but it was not great.

3 Stars (out of 5)