| Fireflies In The Garden | |
 If you didn't think Ryan Reynolds was among Hollywood's hottest property before you see this film, you certainly will afterwards. With a performance offering more charm than a 1920s cocktail bartender he leads an all-star cast in this family drama spanning 3 generations.The trouble is, his charm is misplaced among a mixed bag of a family consisting of his strict, distant, and emotionally stunted father (Willem Defoe), loving but put-upon mother (Julia Roberts) and rebellious Aunt (Emily Watson). Just in case that wasn't enough, Carrie Ann-Moss shows up as his estranged wife. The plot itself is spun into motion by a tragic accident which sees one of the family killed on the way to a celebratory get-together. This sparks a reminiscence of the past problems faced by the family, with particular focus placed on drawing parallels between young Michael (Reynolds) and his young cousin Christopher. Jumping between past and present at whim, we are whisked through a variety of issues ranging from Michael's strict upbringing to the difficulties of maintaining a loving adult relationship. There is a lot of merit in the attempted fluidity in this snapshot of family life, flashbacks come at the same time as the memories, characters bond when they see fit rather than where standard film structure dictates, and some problems remain submerged. However, the result is not sufficiently stylised to work as a dramatic experiment and the dialogue frequently tries to smooth over the less predictable time shifts with clunky lines which serve as little more than a signpost to guide discombobulated viewers. The tone is further confused by the tug-of-war between the light and dark sides of the film. Scenes of 'fishing' with firecrackers and swatting fireflies with tennis rackets provide a kind of comic-bonding which hints at a dysfunctional but somehow unified family, while children running away willy nilly and secrets galore imply exactly the opposite. Add to that the cinematography which is incredibly flat and populated with drab colours (whether we are in the present or the 1970s) and it begins to seem like the promising ingredients of this cinematic meal have been blended into a brown mulch. Nonetheless, there is plenty of nutrition embedded inside. The cast, especially Reynolds, do much to bring to life the problems of the family. The wealth of experiences and emotions proffered by the group means that there is something which everyone will be able to identify with, and moments of warmth and hope are liberally scattered within the dearth of problems so that it never fully descends into a mere work of depression. It's just a shame that it couldn't quite live up to its potential. Rating: ** Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe, Julia Roberts, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hayden Panettiere Director: Dennis Lee Release date: 29th May 2009 Certificate: 15 Running time: 120 mins Review by Michael Edwards |
