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Review: Garden State

Great freaking movie. Zach Braff is officially my favorite actor right now, he really should be in more stuff. First Scrubs and now this, I officially have a totally heterosexual man-crush on the guy. The dude even has his own blog on TypePad. If I was lame and bored and had time on my hands I would totally start a Zach Braff fan site, but fortunately for my street cred I'm only two of those things.

Braff wrote, directed, and starred in Garden State and did a bang up job at all three. It's an original drama with a ton of funny moments. Natalie Portman's character is a little too ADHD at times and the ending is slightly anticlimactic, but overall a wonderful movie.

Nothing seems too far fetched or unrealistic, it's just a movie about an ordinary guy with some screwed up things going on his life. Family issues have caused him to hide from his family and himself, but the death of his mother brings him home from California and his stagnant acting career. Back home in New Jersey, his old friends and one new one help him discover the emotions he has been running from the last nine years.

Braff and Portman have a great and random chemistry together. Their goofy funny personalities match really well on screen. The supporting cast is great too. Peter Sarsgaard is hilarious and pathetic and real all at the same time. Well acted and cast all the way around.

Entertaining and original, Garden State is easily one of the best movies of the year.

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