Greenfingers (2001)

Awesome Movie

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Colin Briggs (Clive Owen) steals flowers to give to Primrose deliberately breaking his parole. The movie flashes back. He reluctantly goes to the new open progressive Edgefield prison where inmates learn usable skills and live in a less restricted environment. He had gotten used to the hard prison life for 15 years. He had killed his younger brother at 18 in a rage when he found his brother with his girlfriend. He befriends elderly prisoner Fergus Wilks but doesn't take any interest. He gets into a fight with the guys playing football when their ball rolls over Fergus' beloved wild flowers. Governor Hodge comes up with a new skill to teach. Colin, Fergus and the three footballers become gardeners. They are given Georgina Woodhouse (Helen Mirren) gardening books who later is taken by their garden. Colin falls for Georgina's daughter Primrose but Georgina doesn't approved.It's a nice, easy, simplistic movie. I can't really classify it as a prison movie. It's loosely based on a true story. It's really way too easy and simplistic. It lacks any real style. Clive Owen is nice and it has the great Helen Mirren. It doesn't have the greatest of writing. The romantic chemistry is also rather lacking. Colin and the old man have better chemistry. The movie has a nice setup but fades a little towards the end. It could also probably use a few jokes to soften up the audience. The movie is just kind of flat.

"Greenfingers" is a film from 2000 starring Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, David Kelly, Adam Fogerty, and Natasha Little. Owen plays a prisoner who is transferred to a work program at a minimum security prison. There, he discovers his "greenfingers," i.e., a talent for making plants and flowers grow. He also makes some special friendships and falls in love.Written and directed by Joel Hershman, Greenfingers is based on the true story of talented prisoner gardeners who entered their gardens in shows in England.The cast is outstanding, with Clive Owen at his handsome and underplayed best, a wonderful characterization by David Kelly, and the fantastic Helen Mirren as a well-known gardening expert. The other prisoners such as Adam Fogerty give great support.Greenfingers is a charming film about likable people, along the lines of "Kinky Boots," "Saving Grace," and any number of other delightful British films.Highly recommended.

I am not an overly cynical person. I do believe redemption is possible. I even like puppies. I do not, however, like being manipulated. And I certainly don't like people trying to do so as blatantly as in this film. The film has been adequately synopsised elsewhere, so I won't go into plot details, but thinking back(and it was only about an hour ago), I can't think of a single hight point of it all. There were two dimensional characters, uninspired dialogue and one of the most awe inspiringly unoriginal story I have probably ever seen(I know it's based on a true story, but I seriously doubt how it actually happened was anything like this). The cinematography was little better than a gardening magazine, and sloppy editing marred whatever measly remnants remained. Oh, and they also left one plot strand not even remotely finished(with the young lad who banged up the tea lady, did the actor quit halfway?). So basically, don't like this film much. Perhaps I am being too hard on it. Perhaps there is something to be learned in it's butt-thrusting simplicity. All I know is I really don't like this saccharine encrusted film, and that's all that I really have to go on here. Avoid this film. Go watch 101 Reykjavik. Remember what emotion is like.

I am a librarian, and one of my jobs is to shelve and organize our videos. I had seen this movie go out occasionally, and wondered what it was like. I was pleasantly surprised, and LOVED IT!!! All of the characters are great, especially the big, hulking yet gentle prisoner who comes to like gardening. David Kelly as Fergus Wilks was a funny, sweet and upbeat man who surprised me as to why he was in prison. I cheered on the romance between Clive Owen & "Primrose". Helen Mirren was a fantastic Martha Stewart of gardening, and a loving yet clingy mom. I loved it, and have recommended it to many people as a must see! Julie A. Roberts (:-)