Fireflies in the Garden

Fireflies in the Garden (2011)

  • 21% of critics liked it
    (48 reviews)

  • 45% of users liked it
    (31,157 ratings)

To an outsider, the Taylors are the very picture of the successful American family: Charles (Willem Dafoe) is a tenured professor on track to become university president, son Michael (Ryan Reynolds) is a prolific and well-known romance novelist, daughter Ryne (Shannon Lucio) is poised to enter a… More

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R, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By
Dennis Lee
Written By
Dennis Lee
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Oct 14, 2011 Limited
On DVD
Feb 7, 2012
Senator Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

    This histrionic family drama must have looked good on paper to attract such a big-name cast, but on the screen it comes off as glib, rushed, and underdeveloped.

  • William Goss, Film.com

    The emotional effectiveness varies from moment to moment between not pushing too hard or simply not pulling hard enough.

  • Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

    A dreadful exercise in navel-gazing that resides in a particularly trite corner of Pat Conroy-ville.

  • Lou Lumenick, New York Post

    A dispiriting rehash of dysfunctional family clichés that seems to last longer than Thanksgiving Day dinner.

  • Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

    The actors are all good and a few scenes -- an opening family argument, a crucial battle when Michael finally fights back -- are painfully moving.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Nicki M


    Better than I would expect from something starring Julia Roberts. Not high on my list to watch, but I am glad I did. Similar in tone to "The Squid and the whale", this follows a dysfunctional family and goes back and forth in time, mainly sticking with Michael, (Ryan… More

  • ♥˩ƳИИ &


    Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe <br/> <br/>Michael Taylor (Ryan Reynolds) is an author who has channeled his painful childhood memories into his novels. With some reluctance, he is flying home for his mother Lisa's (Julia Roberts) college graduation.… More

  • Carlos M


    A dull and obvious family drama that suffers from some serious miscasting and presents lots of issues but never develops them properly.

  • Candy R


    Good cast but quite a dark story. Michael (Ryan Reynolds) is an author who returns to his family and hometown to celebrate his mother's college graduation. However, his mother Lisa (Julia Roberts) is killed in a car accident. The family are forced together to prepare for the… More

  • Dean M


    The drama film truly belongs to Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe, both powerful as kin destined never to be close. This is truly touching stuff of the relatives that I loved it. And all the support cast make wonderful performances.

Read all 13 featured audience ratings

Cast

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