Fireflies in the Garden (2008)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Dennis Lee

Writers:

Robert Frost (poem)
Dennis Lee (writer)

Release Date:

17 July 2008 (Greece)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The semi-autobiographical story centers on the complexities of love and commitment in a family torn apart when faced by an unexpected tragedy. |

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

Germany:99 min (theatrical version) | Israel:120 min | Germany:120 min (Berlin International Film Festival) | Argentina:120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-13 | Netherlands:6 | USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:15A | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Kulture Machine

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Kelly first appears walking into the house after the funeral, the boom mic is visibly above the doorway.

Soundtrack:

Piano Trio in A minor (Op. 50)

What a mess of a film.

I'm an American living in Europe and usually when I see a film with such a fine cast released here before it is in the States an alarm goes off in my head. Normally that means the film is junk and they want to make some money back before word gets around. I read the 2 other IMDb reviews and thought maybe it's not too bad. I then read the Hollywood Reporter, and Variety's reviews, which were not as kind. But I decided to take a drive over to Maastricht, Holland to form my own opinion of FIREFLIES IN THE GARDEN. The first 15 minutes I thought, okay maybe this cast can rise above the seemingly Lifetime special material. But in the end it was clear they couldn't. I've seen much finer Lifetime movies (because of my wife). I can't understand WHY the cast agreed to making this movie. The characters were inconsistent and the script was sloppy. It seemed as though a reel had gone missing, some footage had been erased or maybe they had forgotten to film 30 pages of the script. Characters make huge changes for no apparent reason. Plot points are mentioned but never followed through. I could go on forever but I'm not sure about what. There is no substance to FIREFLIES IN THE GARDEN. It's a pure waste of your time and it's talent. Clearly they thought they were making a solid family drama like ORDINARY PEOPLE or IN THE BEDROOM but they certainly did not succeed on any level. So unfortunately my theory about the US dumping its cinematic junk on the rest of the world for a quick buck has proved true again.