one of my favorite movies this year

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2004)

For awhile now I'd been wanting to catch Garden State after viewing the trailer which instantly had me interested. The visuals over Frou Frou's Let Go had me hooked. I didn't quite know what it was about.
I was able to catch it in Los Angeles this weekend. I took a friend who had no previous knowledge that the movie even existed.
The end result. Two very pleased movie goers.
I know a lot of people are complaining about little things but I left excited at what Zach Braff brings to the table. This is his first movie and it was something to be proud of. From the get go I was into the movie. The characters were on point. I won't get into details because I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone. By no means is this a perfect movie, but it is a damn good movie. A lot of the shots that Braff opted for stuck with me. Just beautiful imagery. Then there is Natalie Portman. Wow. She delivers in a big way in this movie. Disregard everything you've seen in the Star Wars films and watch her in this movie and you'll see this girl is good. She IS Sam. She's likable, she's funny and she's warm. She's real. I've heard complaints about her issues falling to the way side and not being focused on...but that is not what this film was about.
I highly recommend this movie. Go into it with an open mind and just enjoy it. It's void of special effects and expensive fight scenes but full of character and heart. Also, the soundtrack is a perfect compliment to the film.