Around the Fire (1998)
Simon is an intelligent and privileged young man whose family expects him to become a Princeton graduate. Crying out for attention from his reserved and cool hearted family, Simon commits numerous petty crimes and is soon sent away to boarding school where he befriends a "Deadhead," adopts the "hippie" lifestyle and dabbles in many drugs in his search for acceptance.
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It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.
Great Film overall
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Just because Tara Reid is in the movie,i was expecting it to be horrible and ultra trash.But it wasn't that bad after all.There are some really notable quotes about life and drugs and if you've had any kind of drug experience then you can really relate to what happens in the character of the movie.The plot isn't that original though and it is a little boring so that's why i rated it with 5 stars.Good movie to watch once but not another time.Oh and by the way,this is probably the only movie where Tara Reid's acting doesn't suck at all but isn't the best possible either.
Tara Reid wasn't at all convincing in her role- and I've never seen a hippie chick with that much makeup. Though the whole movie is drenched in tie-dye, the 'authentic' feel of a tour atmosphere is lacking. But the main character is easy to relate to (even if you haven't lived the life on the road) and the movie is generally entertaining. Good to see once.
The characters were one dimensional, the plot was meandering and devoid of intelligence, meaning, or originality. It both amazes and disgusts me that this film even got past the cutting room. For a good drug culture film, see Half-Baked. It's not realistic either, but at least it's funny as hell, which is its own validation. Validation is something this film lacks completely. Don't waste your time. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being superb (see Wonderful Life, or any Thin Man film, or Heinlen's Puppet Masters) and 1 being Mariah Carey's Glitter, I give this film -5 which ties it with any production Roseann has ever been even remotely involved in.
Very interesting movie. I got to see it at Dobie in Austin on its second day, and I was pleasantly surprised with it.One thing I liked about Around the Fire was that the movie had a very balanced view of drugs. Not preachy like an afterschool special, but also not sugarcoating their effects either.WARNING - The next few paragraphs have a spoiler. - WARNINGOne of my criticisms is that there was not much that indicated _why_ Simon had a major change in his life. Most people who get out of drug addictions have some kind of spiritual experience, or encounter with God that changes them. (AA would be a good example of this approach.) I find it hard to believe that he would change so quickly. It seems like one minute he is in rehab with all of these internal demons, and the next minute he is all cool again and is willing to stir rice and not sell LSD.Other than that though, I really dug this movie and will be seeing it again. For me, it is an interesting look at a world that I have been intrigued by, but have not gone into. (I especially liked the LSD trip scenes that let the audience member see what an LSD trip is like.)