Fireflies in the Garden (2011)

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
  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 Reynolds), who is now a romance novel author and slightly dour. When his parents are involved in a car crash and his mother, (Julia Roberts) dies and his father, (Willem Dafoe) is injured, he barely seems to show emotion. As the movie goes on and we see what his childhood was actually like at the hands of his father, we start to understand why. There is nothing overly shocking here, more mental abuse than anything, and it did seem like there could have been a little more to this movie, but on the whole it was good and very well cast. Willem Dafoe in particular, I found creepy here, though that could just be his face! I did not recognise Hayden Panettiere as the younger Jane, (his teenage aunt), but she was very good also. Also Emily Watson and Shannon Lucio. I did not really like Carrie Anne Moss as Kelly, but then I never do like her as an actress especially.

• ♥˩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
  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. After a lifetime of putting everyone else first, stroking her husband's (Willem Dafoe) massively insecure ego and raising her children in spite of that, it's Lisa's turn. What should be a moment of great celebration turns into a tragic reunion when Lisa is killed in a car accident, leaving father, son and family to pick up the pieces. While preparing for their mother's funeral, memories are relived and secrets are revealed which will test the family bond. After a childhood of hiding in his father's shadows, protected by his mother, Michael must confront his past and find an understanding of his family, his father and himself. <br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <br/> <br/>Love, Love, Loved this movie. The cast is amazing right down to the young children acting in it. Great performances by them all. It's a dark drama, and I am amazed it has taken me this long to see this movie since I am such a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds and Julia Roberts. The story goes back and forth from past to present and really does a great job at putting you in the story. It's an emotional roller coaster. Willem Dafoe was brilliant at playing the father, has to be his best performance in a movie that I have seen. It's just a beautifully made film. I will definitely be looking for this one on DVD.

• 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
  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 funeral. Painful memories of his relationship with his father and his aunt are brought up. Only problem - you feel for the characters but it doesn't explain what all the family secrets are.

• 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.

• Brian D

  
  A surprising film for me,Not really knowing too much about it.It took me back and surprise to see a large cast of well known actors in a little charming movie at a dysfunctional family and it terms with a death in the family.And with the pass with father and son.All on top form here… More
  A surprising film for me,Not really knowing too much about it.It took me back and surprise to see a large cast of well known actors in a little charming movie at a dysfunctional family and it terms with a death in the family.And with the pass with father and son.All on top form here and worth a look.It is a slow movie but i never really minded that!

• Burger S

  
  Interesting film. A lot of big names in this. The storyline does drag out for a while. Willem Dafoe does a great job of making you hate his character.

• Philip P

  
  There is something fairly standard about "Fireflies in the Garden" while in brief moments it can hint at something much better. This is a family drama with a top notch cast that is centered around a surprisingly serious turn from Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds employs his usual… More
  There is something fairly standard about "Fireflies in the Garden" while in brief moments it can hint at something much better. This is a family drama with a top notch cast that is centered around a surprisingly serious turn from Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds employs his usual charm as Michael Taylor, a young man that grew up with a difficult father. That father as played by Willem Dafoe is given more depth than simply being a movie dad who is relentlessly hateful. He has his true moments of cruelty while also understanding the love and pride he should find for his son. It is a hard relationship to document, to understand and writer/director Dennis Lee gives us no cause for the effect of Dafoe's hateful dad. While Michael is otherwise surrounded by strong females who love him dearly such as his mother (Juia Roberts) and her sister Jane (Emily Watson). The story of Michael, a published novelist who has made a living writing romance novels, is a slight bit of a disappointment to his father, a college english professor. He is returning home for his sister's college graduation when tragedy strikes and through a series of flashbacks we see Michaels memories that have inspired the current turmoil that hangs over the family. There are enough good performances here and touching moments for me to recommend this, but you will walk away feeling Lee's aspirations were bigger than his final product can warrant.

• meril l

  
  Nicely shot, good to see Ryan Reynolds in a serious role, though apart from that all the big names are wasted (and they are so big and the movie is so small that it's hard to forget that you're watching Hayden Panettiere). I find that writing movies about writers is… More
  Nicely shot, good to see Ryan Reynolds in a serious role, though apart from that all the big names are wasted (and they are so big and the movie is so small that it's hard to forget that you're watching Hayden Panettiere). I find that writing movies about writers is generally a bad idea, and though it could have been more punitive for the viewers, it still wasn't the best idea here. Pretty typical movie, nothing exciting, dialogue gets more and more stilted as it goes along.

• Daisy M

  
  After watching the movie I can easily say Fireflies in the Garden is a very good film. The emotion it gives you is very deep. Cinematography is very good, it was not a very original directed movie but totally it was successful. The important thing about the movie was… More
  After watching the movie I can easily say Fireflies in the Garden is a very good film. The emotion it gives you is very deep. Cinematography is very good, it was not a very original directed movie but totally it was successful. The important thing about the movie was the"acting" . Everyone did their job very good, Ryan Reynolds, this was the first movie I saw him in, I have to say, He is a real fine actor. Emily Watson was very good as usual and Carrie-Anne Moss was so charismatic, Hayden Pannetierre was simply awesome and Julia Roberts she was marvelous. She really shows her talent in every of her scenes! It's a must see film especially for the people who love movies about family stuff.

• C.R. L

  
  Fireflies in the garden is a very tragic, beautiful and at sometimes awe inspiring. Fireflies in the garden is based on a poem by the legendary Robert Frost and is what inspired this film. This magnificent piece of movie making stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Taylor a very accomplished… More
  Fireflies in the garden is a very tragic, beautiful and at sometimes awe inspiring. Fireflies in the garden is based on a poem by the legendary Robert Frost and is what inspired this film. This magnificent piece of movie making stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Taylor a very accomplished and well liked novelist who while going home for a family reunion is meet with an unexpected and heartbreaking tragedy. This film is a study of the human emotion and how one death can lead you to find your way back to the people who love and care for you. Fireflies in the garden is a beautiful film that will have your heart wrenching and at sometimes soaring above new heights. I lost my mom last year to cancer, so this movie was very hard for me to watch, but I made it trough to the end but not without shedding a river full of tears. In our lives we all lose someone we love and we all regret that we didn't do anything different or we didn't bother to be there for them when we were needed the most, and this film tells a story that can make you come to terms with that feeling. It can make you feel like not all is lost and that the grass is greener on the other side. Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, William Defoe and Carrie-Anne Moss deliver earth shattering performances in a movie that should be recognized as one of the best of 2008, this film should be released commercially to people so that they can experience a movie that will truly touch your heart in many way's. Fireflies in the garden is now and will always be one of my favorite films of all time, and I hope it will be one of yours too.

• Leo L

  
  Phenomenal movie with an amazing story plot that centralizes around a family long since strained and on its last resorts. Young Michael must always walk carefully as if on egg shells, and knows that whatever he does is not good enough for his father. Adult Michael disallows the… More
  Phenomenal movie with an amazing story plot that centralizes around a family long since strained and on its last resorts. Young Michael must always walk carefully as if on egg shells, and knows that whatever he does is not good enough for his father. Adult Michael disallows the memories to haunt him any further, and begins to heal his family after the death of his mother who was killed in a single car accident that involves his nephew. Great cast- Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Julia Roberts, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Watson, Hayden Panettiere, and Ioan Gruffudd. Definitely worth seeing!

• Anastasia B

  
  despite the first-rate cast, this one bored me to hell. mainly because the script rarely delivers, and the strong moments take forever to build up. i don't recommend it unless you are a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds's beard...

Read all 13 featured audience ratings