ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

DENNIS LEE's Fireflies In The Garden is so full of big stars and good intentions that you wish it were a better film. Instead, this sentimental drama scratches at the surface wounds of a dysfunctional family, transforming their guilty secrets into bland soap-opera.

Some good performances inject a spark or two of life into a picture that will eventually seem completely at home as a Sunday night television attraction.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Michael Taylor, a bestselling author who has never overcome the relentless bullying of his domineering father Charles (Willem Dafoe). He returns home for a family celebration that turns to tragedy when his loving mother Lisa (Julia Roberts) is killed in a car crash.

The subsequent period of mourning becomes an opportunity to revisit the past and recall the childhood incidents that scarred Michael for life.

Reynolds is convincing as the adult Michael, playing him with a defensive edge of dry, sarcastic humour. He also creates a lively, believable relationship with his aunt Jane (Emily Watson). Less convincing are the many flashbacks revealing Michael as the walking wounded in the constant conflict between parents who are little more than one-note representations of saintliness and malice.

The many revelations never carry the emotional charge they might because the film seems much more intent on tugging at the heartstrings than exploring the real pain in the process of truth and reconciliation. The end result feels like a lost opportunity.

Selected nationwide release

Director: Dennis Lee
Cast: Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Ryan Reynolds, Emily Watson, Carrie-Ann Moss, Ioan Gruffudd
Screenwriter: Dennis Lee
Certificate: 15
Running time: 98 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2008

© Allan Hunter, 2009