Zach Braff & Natalie Portman in Garden State

I'm not a big Scrubs fan. Occasionally, it is fun to stop my channel surfing to see how grown up the second Becky from Roseanne is. But Zach Braff hasn't ever struck me as that funny or interesting.

So, when I sat down to watch Garden State, a movie that takes place in the same state at Jersey Girl and the land of ridiculous toll roads, I wasn't that interested.

That changed very quickly. This is an absolutely amazing film. Zach Braff and Natalie Portman are not just believable in this film, they are outstanding. The writing, (Braff wrote the screenplay) is fantastic. This is a story that draws you in and keeps you there the entire film.

Braff's character returns home after the death (suicide?) of his paraplegic mother. The entire film revolves around the week or so before and after the service. This film is a living testament to the ode; you can never go home again.

You can sense executive producer, Danny Devito's touches here and there. Perhaps it is more of a refinement of what Braff already has. It's a shame that while Natalie Portman has received recognition for her other great performances, that this one has been overlooked for the most part.

So, the moral of this story is: forget about Scrubs and forget about Star Wars. Garden State is an excellent film with an excellent cast. And the soundtrack to this picture is also fitting and fantastic. It's great music to live by whether in New Jersey or elsewhere.