There’s no way you guys are gonna like this. It’s silly and precious and twee, just like Garden State was, but this seems way more pronounced.
Before we call him the antichrist or a hack, just remember, it’s very in vogue to hate Zach Braff right now. He’s the internet’s latest punching bag, because people decided that his Kickstarter campaign was somehow more sleazy or disingenuous than the Veronica Mars one. I have nothing against either campaign. Some will see it as morally reprehensible for a rich celebrity to Kickstart their pet project, but I think campaigns like Braff’s are great gateways into crowdfunding. They’re also great ways to gauge interest in a project. Warner Bros wasn’t gonna make Veronica Mars until they knew there was an audience. Lo and behold, there was an audience, and they wanted the movie so badly that they paid for part of it themselves. Braff’s campaign wasn’t really much different.
I know I won’t be liked for this, but honesty is key: I want to like this movie, because I am one of the terrible, horrible monsters who invested in it. It wasn’t a large sum of money, just enough to take myself and a guest to the movies and share a small popcorn. I’m sure 99% of you are recoiling in horror, but my reason for doing it is simple: I did it because Garden State was an important film for me when it first came out. I’m not as kind to Garden State as I used to be, but I wanted to see what Braff could do now that his debut was a decade behind him. As interesting as it might be for his latest film to crash and burn, I really just want it to be pleasant and watchable. That’s all I ask.
Now that I’ve said my mea culpas, how does the trailer look? It looks ultra-Braff, with a candy coated color palette and a large helping of PG-13. I don’t love it. I don’t hate it. I just want the final product to be something unobjectionable to watch on Netflix with your significant other. Focus Features will drop this one into cinemas starting in July.