One of the best films I have EVER seen

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2004)

Being a fan of Zach Braff's character on Scrubs, I figured going into this movie that the hype I had been hearing had to be at least partially true. It turned out that the hype was the understatement of the year. I thought that this film was brilliant. The characters were so easy...so real, so tangible, and that made the arc of this film so much more visceral and beautiful. Natalie Portman has not been better since she starred in the Professional. It is alternately laugh-out-loud funny and tremendously heartwarming. As writer, director, and star, Braff astounds as Andrew Largeman, a troubled twenty-something who comes home to NJ to attend his mother's funeral. His relationship with his father, played by Ian Holm, is tenuous at best. They have not spoken since he left home almost ten years earlier. While home, Andrew reconnects with friends from his youth, meets Sam(Portman) and explores life in a way that is rarely captured on film. This movie should be compulsory for everyone who breathes. 10/10, with no reservation. Also has one of the most amazing soundtracks ever put together.