The domineering dad. The sainted mother. The child of dysfunction who grows up with his own issues and misconstrued memories. We've seen it all before, and while it tries to bring something new to the flawed familial mix, Fireflies in the Garden is too obvious to be effective, to twee to take anything really seriously. Overflowing with unnecessary flashbacks and banking on your eventual need for multiple handkerchiefs, this was clearly viewed as a box office bottom feeder when it was finally readied for release. Made over four years ago, it was shuffled around and reedited before finally arriving on DVD. Some may fall for its manipulative designs. Most will just be angered by its tired tearjerking.
Michael Taylor (Ryan Reynolds) is a popular author who is planning a book on his troubled kin. They include abuse dad Charles (Willem Dafoe), his loving mother Lisa (Julia Roberts) and his enabling Aunt Jane (Emily Watson). When he was young (and played by Cayden Boyd) he was protected by the slightly older female relative (in the persona of Hayden Panettiere) and they bonded. Now, years later, their relationship is rocky. Even worse, a sudden tragedy turns what should have been a wonderful group celebration (Michael was coming home for his mom's late-in-life graduation from college) into a somber, serious occasion. Even worse, the guilt associated with the misfortune unearths secrets that, perhaps, shouldn't be shared, as well as healing relationships that have been decades in decline.
Named after a Robert Frost poem and dotted with deliberate narrative nods to every conceivable cliche, Fireflies in the Garden is as dull as the description infers. It's a movie made up of meanings, not characters or invested emotions. It's more mechanical than anything, introducing players who will pop up once and a while to make sure things continue toward their predestined, predictable conclusion. When we see that Michael has an ex-wife (Carrie-Anne Moss) he still cares about, we know a last act hook up is eminent. Similarly, the indeterminate grudge held by the adult Jane will disappear once the title insects light up the backyard - and everyone grabs a badminton racket. With symbolism so conspicuous a contemporary high school student could see it, director Dennis Lee delivers sequences of sheer pointlessness. The results are incredibly dull.
It's one thing to start us off with a fiesta turned funeral, but then we travel back to a period piece past where everyone channels a sitcom version of their supposed autobiographical selves. While Reynolds and Watson make uneasy confidants, the contrast between Boyd and Panttiere borders on the creepy. Since they are both teens, there is a tension that moves beyond the bad dad basics. There's even a hint of sexual attraction that makes their pairing even more suspect. All throughout, Lee handles the material with overstuffed mittens. Instead of subtlety and originality, he paints his motion picture in the broadest, most unbelievable strokes possible. The result is something groan inducing instead of gratifying.
Truth be told, there's not much that can really be unearthed within this overdone genre. Everything from pop songs to TV films want to explore the reasons fathers hate sons and visa versa. So Fireflies in the Garden had its work cut out for it right from the start. Sitting around on a studio shelf for the last few years hasn't aged this material - it's molded it. Even with an almost A-list cast and a story similar to dozens of others, there is nothing here worth noting. There may be some ethereal bugs in the backyard, but for the most part, there's nothing but nonsense onscreen.
Named after a Robert Frost poem and dotted with deliberate narrative nods to every conceivable cliche, Fireflies in the Garden is as dull as the description infers. It's a movie made up of meanings, not characters or invested emotions. It's more mechanical than anything, introducing players who will pop up once and a while to make sure things continue toward their predestined, predictable conclusion. When we see that Michael has an ex-wife (Carrie-Anne Moss) he still cares about, we know a last act hook up is eminent. Similarly, the indeterminate grudge held by the adult Jane will disappear once the title insects light up the backyard - and everyone grabs a badminton racket. With symbolism so conspicuous a contemporary high school student could see it, director Dennis Lee delivers sequences of sheer pointlessness. The results are incredibly dull.
It's one thing to start us off with a fiesta turned funeral, but then we travel back to a period piece past where everyone channels a sitcom version of their supposed autobiographical selves. While Reynolds and Watson make uneasy confidants, the contrast between Boyd and Panttiere borders on the creepy. Since they are both teens, there is a tension that moves beyond the bad dad basics. There's even a hint of sexual attraction that makes their pairing even more suspect. All throughout, Lee handles the material with overstuffed mittens. Instead of subtlety and originality, he paints his motion picture in the broadest, most unbelievable strokes possible. The result is something groan inducing instead of gratifying.
Truth be told, there's not much that can really be unearthed within this overdone genre. Everything from pop songs to TV films want to explore the reasons fathers hate sons and visa versa. So Fireflies in the Garden had its work cut out for it right from the start. Sitting around on a studio shelf for the last few years hasn't aged this material - it's molded it. Even with an almost A-list cast and a story similar to dozens of others, there is nothing here worth noting. There may be some ethereal bugs in the backyard, but for the most part, there's nothing but nonsense onscreen.
