Greenfingers (2001)

Instant Favorite.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Delightful alternative to blood & guts movies of modern days. And it was based on a true story about prison gardeners. Jim & I really enjoyed the lighthearted plot and happy endings for people who thought their lives were as good as over.

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.

A very well done movie, with everybody turning in a fine performance. Clive Owen was quite good, but David Kelly is simply marvelous. However odd as you may think the story is, you'll be drawn in by this movie almost immediately.Gardening is pretty much a national sport in England, so perhaps the movie makes more sense to the Brits than us in the states, but don't be fooled by the story premise about a bunch of gardening inmates. It's just a plain enjoyable story that comes highly recommended.It's based on a series of true events, which just makes the movie all the more delightful.Go out and rent it, you'll enjoy it.