Garden State

Strenuously strange, if a trifle thin and ultimately quite conventional, Zach Braff’s one-man show -- he writes, directs, and stars -- is made palatable by the presence of Natalie Portman as his love interest. He also enlists the support of reliable actors such as Ian Holm and Peter Sarsgaard, but does not give them much to do. The protagonist is a marginal actor who returns from LA to NJ for his mother’s funeral, meets up with various old friends and classmates who have made their own way or not in the decade since high school, and eventually emerges from the longterm numbness caused by a not very convincing old family tragedy. Quirky without genuine originality, heavy without real emotion, this is nonetheless a watchably humorous effort from a twentysomething with some promise. (2003, HBO/T, n.) *6* (MC-67, RT-87.)

Only the Strong Survive (2002) is not up to the normal standard of eminent documentarians D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, nor as infectiously delightful as similar films such as Wattstax or Standing in the Shadows of Motown, but makes for a pleasant return visit with Seventies soul singers such as Rufus and Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes, and Sam Moore of Sam and Dave.