Fireflies in the Garden
| Fireflies in the Garden | |
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Promotional poster
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| Directed by | Dennis Lee |
| Produced by | Sukee Chew Vanessa Coifman Marco Weber |
| Written by | Dennis Lee |
| Starring |
Ryan Reynolds Willem Dafoe Emily Watson Julia Roberts Carrie-Anne Moss Hayden Panettiere Ioan Gruffudd Cayden Boyd |
| Cinematography | Daniel Moder |
| Edited by |
Dede Allen Robert Brakey |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Box office | $3,393,161 |
Fireflies in the Garden is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Dennis Lee and starring Willem Dafoe, Ryan Reynolds, and Julia Roberts. It premiered at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on October 14, 2011.
Fireflies in the Garden is set in the present day, and revolves around three generations of a family, with flash-backs to their growing up. A major focus is on domineering father Charles and his strained relationships with son Michael, sister-in-law Jane and other family members.
A terrible accident on the way to a family reunion with Charles and wife Lisa at Jane's house, and the ensuing funeral set the scene for Michael to discover/uncover much about the inner lives and affairs of this family and finding a route to reconciliation.
The story moves back and forth between the adolesence and present of successful author Michael Taylor (Ryan Reynolds) and his extended family: domineering father, English professor Charles (Willem Dafoe), his mother Lisa (Julia Roberts), his sister Ryne; as well as Lisa's much younger sister Jane (Emily Watson) (just older than Michael, act more like cousins since childhood), her husband Jimmy (George Newbern), their son Christopher (Chase Ellison) and daughter Leslie (Brooklynn Proulx). Included in the family mix is Michael's alcoholic ex-wife Kelly (Michael has only told Jane about the breakup).
Charles and Michael had, and still have, a strained relationship, with both pushing the other. In a flash-back to a boyhood road trip, the younger Michael claims to have lost his glasses, knowing he has them in his pocket; Charles makes Michael walk home in the rain as a punishment. This tit-for-tat and rule-breaking continues with Charles imposing on all around him, including Jane, who is staying with them as Lisa is expecting a baby (Ryne). She, too, hates Charles' domineering nature and sides with Michael against him. When Michael embarrasses Charles in front of his colleagues by falsely claiming to have written a poem, Fireflies in the Garden by Robert Frost, he is punished by having to hold his weighted arms horizontal. Later, unable to lift his aching arms, Jane feeds him. The conflicts escalate, with Michael eventually intervening in a quarrel between his parents, attacking Charles and forcing him to the ground.
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