Around the Fire (1998)

Around the Fire is the deeply resonant story of a boy named Simon, who despite being raised in an upper-class Manhattan household with all its privileges--and restrictions--is haunted by ... See full summary »

Director:

John Jacobsen

Writers:

John W. Comerford, Tommy Rosen

Stars:

Devon Sawa, Bill Smitrovich, Tara Reid

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Devon Sawa	...	Simon Harris
Bill Smitrovich	...	Matt Harris
Tara Reid	...	Jennifer
Eric Mabius	...	Andrew
Colman Domingo	...	Trace
Charlayne Woodard	...	Kate
Lisa Burgett	...	Lauren
Henri Lubatti	...	Kevin
John Pirruccello	...	Joe
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Doc
Daphne Brogdon	...	Simon's mother
Blaine Walker	...	Young Simon
Manny the Hippie	...	Vegan GooBall Man
Amos Glick	...	Neal
Heath Lourwood	...	Jason

Storyline

Around the Fire is the deeply resonant story of a boy named Simon, who despite being raised in an upper-class Manhattan household with all its privileges--and restrictions--is haunted by the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of his mother. In Simon's eyes, his high-powered businessman father Matt wasted no time in remarrying his stepmother Lauren, a woman with a perfect facade whom he suspects of having an affair with Matt long before his mother's demise. When Simon is sent away to boarding school in preparation to attend Princeton, he meets Andrew, who introduces him to marijuana and LSD, and immerses him into a whole new world populated by dreamers, artists, utopians, flower children and partiers who spend the better part of their lives "on tour" at musical festivals. Simon is deeply moved by the beauty and freedom of these people, and feels they are the family he has always sought. At his very first concert Simon meets Jennifer, a beautiful young hippie to whom he is ...

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Plot Keywords:

marijuana | sent away | drugs | drug rehab | lsd | 

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Taglines:

Finding a place to belong is just the beginning.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive drug content, language, and some sex/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ali bruciate

Filming Locations:

Novato, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paradigm Studio, Paradigm Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Simon: Why weren't you in class?
Andrew: Because math sucks, man.

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Soundtracks

"Brown Eyed Women"
Written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia
Performed by The Grateful Dead
used by permission of Ice Nine Publishing (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
by arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Should Have Made the Big Screen

It seems this film had only a limited release and should have reached a much larger audience. I would guess bad decisions were made by the studio. While I initially expected this to be a mindless teen film (Tara Reid?), it turned out to be very serious, yet light hearted when it mattered. All of the actors, including Ms Reid turned in impressive performances, but the true star was Trace, played by Colman Domingo. Mr Domingo provided depth in his character that will ensure that he has a bright future on the big screen. His confidence with the role was further impressive after viewing the DVD interview where he states that his actual personality is opposite of Trace's. Tara Reid proved that she can play beyond the high-school popular girl. Devon Sawa was a little flat in his role and I was constantly distracted by his bad wig. Rent this movie though, it is worth your time.