Directed by Zach Braff • 2004 • United States
Starring Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm

Like THE GRADUATE for early-2000s indie kids, the breakout Sundance hit from writer-director-star Zach Braff captures twentysomething angst with a mix of charming comedy and touching sincerity—and made songs by bands like the Shins and the Postal Service mix-CD staples of the era. In the wake of his mother’s death, struggling LA actor Andrew Largeman (Braff) returns home to New Jersey, where he confronts the emotional baggage he’s long suppressed while forging a new connection with Sam (Natalie Portman), a fellow misfit working through some serious issues of her own.