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Movies / Upcoming / Fireflies in the Garden
Fireflies in the Garden

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Fireflies in the Garden

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:6

Rotten:18

Average Rating:4.2/10

Consensus: Despite boasting a stellar cast, Fireflies in the Garden is just tedious, dull and predictable melodrama. Instantly forgettable.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some sexual content

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 30, 1999 Limited

Synopsis: Dennis Lee (JESUS HENRY CHRIST) directs this film that features an impressive cast: Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafor, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hayden Panettiere, Ioan Gruffudd, and Julia Roberts.... Dennis Lee (JESUS HENRY CHRIST) directs this film that features an impressive cast: Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafor, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hayden Panettiere, Ioan Gruffudd, and Julia Roberts. In this drama, an already troubled family is further torn apart by a tragic accident. [More]

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hayden Panettiere, Ioan Gruffudd, Julia Roberts

Director: Dennis Lee

Director: Dennis Lee
Screenwriter: Dennis Lee
Studio: Senator Entertainment

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Fireflies in the Garden

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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They stagger down memory lane for a little bloodletting, inspect skeletons in the cupboard and invariably end up bathing together in a hot tub of sentimental forgiveness and understanding.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
06/02/09
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

A watchable but ultimately blah family drama.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
06/02/09
Charlotte O'Sullivan
Charlotte O'Sullivan
This is London

We’re in the twilight land of the sensitive indie ensemble piece, something American stars gravitate to for reasons of range and prestige, but which ends up being more cathartic for them than for us.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
05/29/09
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph

It’s not a bad film – Lee directs with subtle grace and the cast is predictably strong – but it’s saddled with too many characters, not enough drama and a strong sense of overfamiliarity.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
05/29/09
Tom Huddlestone
Tom Huddlestone
Time Out

This is a slog of a melodrama. And with at least four sob stories competing for space, characters are left dangling like untied shoelaces, as backstories remain unfertilised.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/29/09
Ali Catterall
Ali Catterall
Channel 4 Film

Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson are strictly slumming it in this saccharine melodrama.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
05/29/09
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]

A sickly sweet family drama stuffed with exceptionally high-profile performers - so much so that they threaten to overwhelm it just by their presence.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
05/29/09
Andrew Pulver
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]

A heavy, entertaining but slightly forgettable family drama.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
05/29/09
Limara Salt
Limara Salt
Little White Lies

The entire experience feels like it is leading up to a dramatic and well-needed climax, but sadly this never materialises and what we're left with is a run-of-the-mill yarn, albeit one with a stellar cast.

Full Review Source: Digital Spy | comment Comment
05/29/09
Lara Martin
Lara Martin
Digital Spy

It may be both both melancholy and intense but it packs an emotional jolt as the prodigal son reaches an understanding - if not a full-blown reunion - with his crotchety old man.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
05/29/09
Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

An impressive ensemble lends heft and humour to this sprawling potboiler. Watchable if never truly memorable, it’s a mid-range work for most involved that still affords the odd guilty pleasure.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
05/29/09
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Total Film

A sheer slog to sit through, Fireflies In The Garden might have worked if it wasn't so damn po-faced and the script actually had something to say about how families work.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
05/29/09
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

The elements are all there but never fully click into place - more like a TV movie than a big-screen drama.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
05/29/09
Mark Adams
Mark Adams
Sunday Mirror [UK]

A thoughtful tale but it is not original enough to provide a long-lasting glow.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
05/29/09
Sun Online

Consistently watchable and sometimes rather moving, although it is a rather slighter piece than the film-makers seem to think.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
05/29/09
Karl French
Karl French
Financial Times

An agonisingly sincere drama of familial dysfunction, this is notable for some very basic miscasting.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
05/29/09
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Dennis Lee’s sentimental drama is full of big stars and good intentions but still winds up feeling no better than a tear-jerking television soap opera.

Full Review Source: Daily Express | comment Comment
05/29/09
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Daily Express

A resolutely middlebrow dysfunctional family melodrama, it's one of those tediously self-congratulatory movies that projects an unearned air of superiority simply because it's not another slam-bang summer blockbuster.

Full Review Source: Scotsman | comment Comment
05/29/09
Alistair Harkness
Alistair Harkness
Scotsman

A movie tomb in which zombiedom is confused with - what's the phrase? - "nuanced performances". Fireflies may be a douche to freshen up the thesp skills of A-listers, but why do we have to suffer for their art?

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
05/28/09
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

It lacks dramatic impact and fails to deliver the required emotional punch.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
05/28/09
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
 
 
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