20 Awesome Movies That You Haven’t Seen… And Should!
17. Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004)
Braff enlisted the talents of Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ian Holm to star in this film which is loosely based upon his own real-life experiences.
The storyline follows a young man, Andrew Largeman (Braff) who returns to his hometown following the death of his mother.
In the film, Braff plays a character struggling to find success as an actor and working as a waiter to pay the bills.
Throughout the film, Braff’s character experiences his world through drug use (both illegal and prescription). He maintains a detached state from reality courtesy of antidepressants, marijuana, and ecstasy.
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Braff wrote the script for “Garden State,” basing the majority of the film’s story on his real-life experiences as a young actor living in Los Angeles. “Garden State” was met with positive reviews when it was released, and over time has developed a significant cult following among moviegoers.
The film was an official selection of the committee at the Sundance Film Festival. Braff was involved in every aspect of the film, even selecting the tracks that would appear on the soundtrack for the film. That soundtrack would go on to win a Grammy.
