Watching this was a faintly amusing but fleeting experience that required the utmost patience to follow.

Director Zach Braff plays Andrew Largeman, an aspiring actor and a waiter at a Vietnamese restaurant.

He seems to live an isolated existence until he is forced to return to his small home town following the death of his mother.

After indulging in heavy drinking, drugs and a partying lifestyle from which he seems somehow removed, Andrew meets quirky Sam (Natalie Portman), a pathological liar but secure and content woman.

It would be hard not to be drawn to Sam's resplendent smile and emotional outbursts and gradually Andrew finds himself opening up to her.

We witness his journey of self-awareness but this is somewhat upstaged by the film's study of characters' foibles and eccentricities, which provide a richer, more interesting diversion from the weak plot.

However, this slow-burner fails to reach fruition and boredom poses a constant threat to even the most patient viewer.

Weird, yes, but unfortunately not wonderful.

CS