As Rosas São Vermelhas, as Violetas São Azuis

I can't believe the cynicism surrounding this film. It has a nice wholesome quality to it that is lacking in our films today. I love films like 'Scarface', 'GoodFellas' and '48 HRS.' but that doesn't mean I can't like a film like 'Greenfingers'. Taking a group of prisoners and putting them in such a scenario as making them gardeners as part of their rehabilitation is a unique concept for a film. Reviewers, especially American critics must think all prisons around the world are loaded with weapons and power hungry guards and wardens. Countries like Canada, Switzerland and England have less violent criminals and less confrontational authorities. Some are mocking the film's whole premise as absurd but to make it more credible, this film is based on a true story! 'Greenfingers' runs a short 90 minutes, has some good characters that are well developed and jokes that bubble with surprising wit and charm. Examine the cast and crew carefully and watch out for their next film(s). We need more like them.

My wife and I caught this nice, heartwarming film quite by accident. We started watching it as there was nothing else on. Then, as the story progressed, quite rapidly, we were engrossed.

The was quite good, as should be expected by British actors, the cinematography and settings were great and the story was superb, though simple.

Too few of these nice little foreign films get airplay in the States (we are currently living in Taiwan), and it's a shame, because this is a great little film.

"Daysees, pahnsies and buttucups, you blokes are a disgrace to the prison system."

I have a couple of cynical kin who sometimes go to the video rental store and select a movie solely because there are only one or two copies on the shelf. Their reasoning: wildly popular movies usually reflect the crass, Hollywood-dictated tastes of the ignorant masses, while a single- or double-copy film has had enough of a following to be recognized as worthwhile, but not enough to be awful. (Hey, don't blame me--I'm just quoting my nutty relatives.) But you know what? More often than not they bring home a charmer.

"Greenfingers" is such a one. British convicts in an experimental prison discover the joy of creating a beautiful garden. There are some painful setbacks and some delicious triumphs, mixed in with some lust here, some romance there--come to think of it, a kind of human garden. The characters are quirky and endearing, the situations amusing, the presentation economical. The cinematography is good, too; the opening scene could be entitled, "A Thousand Words," for what it's worth.

I particularly salute the courage of those who dared to people a movie with a warden who wasn't sadistic, a celebrated and haughty VIP who wasn't hateful, and well-behaved prisoners who got a break. (Next thing you know, they'll be making movies involving Christians who aren't hypocrites, parents who aren't fools, conservative legislators who aren't racists, and corporation execs who are just about as honest as the rest of us.)

(Naah--never happen.)

See this movie; unless you are an action junkie or a confirmed curmudgeon, it will make you smile and be glad.

7/10

"The Full Monty" seems to have grown another sprout.

As far as I am concerned, the British can make a dozen of these a year, and I will happily see every single one of them. Sentiment in the hands of someone who will not hit you over the head with that sentiment is much welcomed. Emotions expressed on the screen are always better in small doses, and for my money, that doesn't have better representation onscreen than the aforementioned "A Full Monty", "Brassed Off", "Billy Elliot" and now "Greenfingers."

Clive Owen plays Colin Briggs, a man imprisoned for a crime he will not discuss. He thinks of himself as a prisoner and nothing else. When he is released, he commits a much smaller crime in order to get back into prison. He is comfortable in prison and may not feel he has much identity outside prison walls.

Colin is moved to a progressive prison where trust is the main thing. There are no wired fences but if you disobey the rules, you can go back to being familiar with wired fences in a hurry. He is given the opportunity to learn something but Colin has given up on life so he takes whatever job they give him, and of course he hates it.

One day his elderly cellmate, Fergus Wilks (played by David Kelly, from "Waking Ned Devine") gives him flower seeds. Colin plants them almost as an afterthought and probably just to shut up the friendly, outgoing Fergus. He is amazed to find that the flowers have grown, and grown beautifully.

Through a couple of twists, other prisoners along with Colin are given the task of growing and designing a garden on the prison grounds. They are reluctant to do this 'woman's work' but are soon immersed in the project. Colin especially has found his true calling in life - gardening. The next time he is called in front of the parole board, he expresses that he is no longer a prisoner, he is a gardener. He's a gardener.

Through some more twists, the prisoners meet Georgina Woodhouse, a renowned gardening expert. She takes on the guys as proteges and arranges for them to grow a garden at a nearby estate. Meanwhile, Colin gets the chance to romance Georgina's daughter, whose first misfortune was having Georgina for a Mother, and being called 'Primrose', a name she naturally despises.

The prisoners enter the race to win the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, the best show in the world. This is where a couple of plot twists turn out to be a bit far-fetched and heavy-handed, as one of more likable prisoners has likely stolen from the estate they are working at, and subsequently leaves the prison. You don't get any follow-up to his story or find out what may have happened to him until the very end, and even then, its not enough.

Suffice to say, it has a satisfying ending. Maybe not the most satisfying ending, but like I said, let's leave the obvious to the American moviemakers.

Clive Owen is remarkable as Colin. He's a no-tricks type actor, he has no tricks up his sleeve. He pretty much lays it on the line. He doesn't overdo any of the aspects of Colin's personality at all. He is totally rude to Fergus to begin with and does not have one friend, but as he explained, he's nothing more than a prisoner. Now that he's found something new and valuable in his life, he is able to open up to the other guys, and to have his romance with Primrose, which by the way is not tacked on so as to please the audience members who like that sort of thing. Both people are more needy than they know so it seems natural that they would gravitate to one another.

I have to mention one very sweet scene - Colin is feeding some of the plants, and he's giving them a pep talk. He tells them that although they are going to the best flower show in the world, that they deserve to be there as much as the other flowers, and that they will make him proud. Just so touching, so revealing, so well done like 95% of the rest of the movie.

Helen Mirren as Georgina Woodhouse adds her customary expert performance. Danny Dyer as Tony, Adam Fogerty (he was in "Brassed Off" and played Gorgeous George in "Snatch") and David Kelly are perfect.

So sorry that others are too cynical to gain any enjoyment from this, but I loved it and that's a great feeling. 8/10.

This is a wonderful (true) story of hardened criminals who, through gardening, become human again. The performances are all quite excellent, including that of the ever-enjoyable Helen Mirren. Even if you aren't a gardener, you will enjoy this film about redemption and triumph.