Garden State

Zach Braff (star of the TV show Scrubs) wrote, directed, and stars in this gentle, whimsical comedy-drama about a struggling twenty-something actor who comes home to New Jersey for his mother's funeral. There he struggles to come to grips with his past and his family, and he begins a romance with a quirky, endearing local girl (played by Natalie Portman). Braff does fine work both in front of and behind the camera (and, perhaps most important, at the writing table). He knows exactly what he is after, does not try to make more of his movie than it is, and winds up with a winner.