Greenfingers (2000)

46% of critics liked it
(67 reviews)
66% of users liked it
(5,224 ratings)

A fish-out-of-water comedy in the vein of 1997's oft-imitated The Full Monty, Greenfingers takes as its inspiration the true story of a group of British criminals who bettered themselves through the delicate art of gardening. Croupier's Clive Owen plays Colin Briggs, a taciturn inmate doing time for… More A fish-out-of-water comedy in the vein of 1997's oft-imitated The Full Monty, Greenfingers takes as its inspiration the true story of a group of British criminals who bettered themselves through the delicate art of gardening. Croupier's Clive Owen plays Colin Briggs, a taciturn inmate doing time for murder. When it's suggested he transfer to a minimum-security prison, Colin is reluctant; at the idyllic Edgefield compound, he's slow to warm to his gregarious, botanically inclined roomie Fergus (Waking Ned Devine's David Kelly). When the warden forces Colin and his prison mates to cultivate the prison's grounds, however, the men decide it's a fate better than mopping the lavatory, and begin to take pride in their work. Their stellar efforts attract the attention of haughty celebrity gardener Georgina Woodhouse (Helen Mirren), who arranges furlough work for the men. Colin becomes particularly fervent with his bulbs and seeds, not to mention his affection for Georgina's daughter Primrose (Natasha Little). When he's offered the chance to go straight, Colin is torn between the freedom of the outside world and the comforts of his lockup flowerbed. Greenfingers made its North American premiere at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival before making the U.S. festival rounds. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Joel Hershman
Written By: Joel Hershman
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 27, 2001 Limited
On DVD: Jan 2, 2002
Studio: IDP Distribution

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr, New York Times
As synthetic as a rubber rose.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Can be cute, and even heartwarming at times. But all too often, it's nearly insufferable.
Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle
It's just too bad the intended charm is applied with a shovel instead of a trowel. Romantic comedy is a delicate flower that can be smothered by too much fertilizer.
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News
Too contrived for its own good and it feels as artificial as a bouquet of plastic pansies.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Succeeds in capturing the movement of a soul from hopelessness to humanity.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
A small enchantment of a movie, distinctive for both its freshness and finesse.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
A irresistível simpatia dos personagens eleva o filme a um outro nível de interesse.
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
There are many reasons to see GREENFINGERS. . . top of the list of reasons has to be its star, Clive Owen, a toothsome morsel of manflesh . . .
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Greenfingers zips along at an agreeable pace and is full of colorfully engaging characters...
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Greenfingers could have been such a load of garden manure, had it not been for some earthy direction, clever casting and very good writing.
Ted Murphy, Baseline.Hollywood.com
"Greenfingers" turns out to be all thumbs.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lady D

Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Danny Dyer, Warren Clarke ? sounds like a pretty good line up of Actors, yet this story is so ridiculous, it has to be true!! Having only caught the film just a little way in, there was hope that this could turn into a pretty good film, unfortunately that… More
Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Danny Dyer, Warren Clarke ? sounds like a pretty good line up of Actors, yet this story is so ridiculous, it has to be true!! Having only caught the film just a little way in, there was hope that this could turn into a pretty good film, unfortunately that wasn't the case and I have to say, I can't believe that such a cast would have associated themselves with such a silly film, this should have been a one off TV Drama.
Film C

i like this film it was amusing and a pretty good storyline the performances were god and its worth a watch
Alice S

Silly and sweet. Nothing more and nothing less than what it intends to be.
Al S

A delightful, warm-hearted and wonderful movie. A great and magnificent surprise. A fun, riveting and extroadinary film. Has it's serious moments mixed in with some feel-good humor. Clive Owen is excellent. David Kelly is brilliant.
Lafe F

This was a nice prison gardening film with interesting characters. It has funny moments. The garden show was a bit harsh punishment for these men to be doing time for.
Emily A

Danny Dyer is the king! This movie was very funny and very quirky. It was a little hard to wrap my mind around the concept of floral gardening being 'the great equalizer', being that I'm more of a vegetable girl, but I found this outing very amusing. The inmates were… More
Danny Dyer is the king! This movie was very funny and very quirky. It was a little hard to wrap my mind around the concept of floral gardening being 'the great equalizer', being that I'm more of a vegetable girl, but I found this outing very amusing. The inmates were all such great characters.
Bill C

As a real fan of British humor, I am always surprised at how I'm not so much enthused by British drama. The characters are very one dimensional and the frame work of a highly predictable class struggle. Although it has some touching moments overall it's as enjoyable as… More
As a real fan of British humor, I am always surprised at how I'm not so much enthused by British drama. The characters are very one dimensional and the frame work of a highly predictable class struggle. Although it has some touching moments overall it's as enjoyable as watching early socialist films. Although he tries you never really feel the transformation that Owens makes from being an institutional mind to growing into his role as a gardener. I'm a big Helen Mirren fan and I was hoping for more than the bit supporting role. If you enjoy British drama this maybe for you, but not for me.
Sunil J

Seemed like silly fun but was just silly and dull.
FanGirl B

A warm and charming comedy. It's nice to see Clive in a less serious performance. You'll feel good after you see this film or at least I did.