Fireflies in the Garden (2008)

The Taylor family is devastated by an accident that takes place on the day their matriarch is due to graduate from college -- decades after leaving to raise her children.

Director:

Dennis Lee

Writers:

Robert Frost (poem), Dennis Lee

Stars:

Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Reynolds	...	Michael Taylor
Willem Dafoe	...	Charles Taylor
Emily Watson	...	Jane Lawrence
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Kelly Hanson (as Carrie Anne Moss)
Julia Roberts	...	Lisa Taylor
Ioan Gruffudd	...	Addison Wesley
Hayden Panettiere	...	Young Jane Lawrence
Shannon Lucio	...	Ryne
Cayden Boyd	...	Young Michael
George Newbern	...	Jimmy (as George Newburn)
Chase Ellison	...	Christopher
Brooklynn Proulx	...	Leslie
Diane Perella	...	Flight Attendant
Natalie Karp	...	Social Worker
John C. Stennfeld	...	Reverend Byers (as Reverend John Stennfeld)

Storyline

A family with an abusive father, a sensitive son, and a mother out of her depth: we see them when Michael is about 12 and when he's in his 30's, a writer of romance novels, going home for his mother and sister's college graduations. We go back and forth between the two periods: when Michael is a boy, the pressure builds until a break is threatened and there's a fight; during his trip home, there's an unexpected death, and renewed relationships between father and son, Michael and his aunt, and Michael and his aunt's young children. Michael's estranged wife joins them for the funeral.

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Plot Keywords:

aunt | abusive father | windshield | spilling wine | walking on roof | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes a family must come apart before it can come together

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 2008 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Luciérnagas en el jardín

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$36,884 (USA) (14 October 2011)

Gross:

$36,884 (USA) (14 October 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kulture Machine, Senator Entertainment Co

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 99 min (theatrical) 120 min 94 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director Dennis Lee, the first person who read the script was Carrie-Anne Moss.

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Goofs

When Kelly first appears walking into the house after the funeral, the boom mic is visibly above the doorway.

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Connections

References Ergo Proxy (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Am I Black Enough"
Performed by Turntable Bay
Written by David Hadland, Scott Schorr & Victor Williams
Courtesy of Lazy Bones Recordings

User Reviews

How can a movie with such a great cast and acting be so emotionless and boring? I wish I knew why. I say C+

"If you don't know how to take care of something you don't deserve to have it." When Michael (Reynolds) comes home for his mother Lisa's (Roberts) graduation the family is rocked by a tragedy. The family is now forced to live together in close confines and old and new problems begin to come to the surface. This is a very difficult movie to review. The acting is amazing. Every single person does a fantastic job throughout. The story is a little overused but still is a great idea. The glaring problem is that there is absolutely no personal connection to the characters and that really hurts the movie. I don't think that that is the actor's fault but when these awful things happen it doesn't affect you the way it's meant to. Overall, a good movie that doesn't create the effect that it was supposed to. I give it a C+.