bobbobwhite Cute little fun movie, but unrealistic about prison life. Guess they had to sweeten it up and not have it as gritty as it really is so regular folks could watch it without getting too upset to see it through. Nice to see anything, however, that shows greater human potential, even in an such an unlikely place as a prison.In a nutshell, prisoners turned gardeners are allowed to enter a snooty English(oxymoron?)garden show and guess what? They win, no surprise there(it's Rocky, remember?).The Rocky concept we see in so many movies we love to hate was here in force but was overcome somewhat by a great cast, especially Clive Owen as the main gardener and main squeeze and Helen Mirren, who was terrific as the English gardening maven who gave it all a chance to be greatness. She was terrific.And, as usual in all Rocky-type films, the little guys won out in the end, but also won out in another way...they became real human beings again and knew they had done something very special(even before they met the queen!). One of them even got the pretty girl.

DAVID SIM Clive Owen is one of my favourite British actors. He first caught my attention in the early 90s with the British TV series Chancer. Even at the tender age of 25, he was quite excellent in the role of a roguishly likable financial analyst who could turn ruthless at the drop of a hat.Although the series only lasted 20 episodes, Owen remained uniformly excellent, and quite effortless in his ability to appear charming or devious whenever it was required of him. Unfortunately, after the series wrapped (ahead of its time), the film roles Owen so richly deserved just weren't rolling in. He was forced to potter about in TV movie territory for much of the following 90s, a medium where Owen's talents were completely wasted.But then in 1998, his role in the noirish gambling thriller Croupier was the part that finally made Hollywood sit up and take notice of Clive Owen. It was his strongest role in years. The first one he'd been given since Chancer that reminded audiences what a charismatic and magnetic performer Clive can be.Its taken a further six years, but its only now really that Clive Owen is getting the attention (and respect) that he deserves. Something long overdue. He's established himself as a perfect leading man in some of the best films of the past few years, including Sin City, Inside Man and especially Children of Men. Quite a hat trick!Greenfingers was made at a time when Clive Owen still hadn't quite ascended to the A-list. And while Greenfingers didn't exactly raise his profile the way Croupier did, its still another of his good ones. The plot is something that shouldn't even begin to work. A group of prisoners placed in a gardening program, and it turns out to be their true vocation. Its something that leaves itself open to any number of criticisms. That it's too sugary for its own good. It paints an inaccurate portrait of life in prison. And that such progressive prison systems only exist in fiction.Personally I myself prefer prison dramas that are grittier. The Shawshank Redemption still holds the crown there, but with Clive Owen in the lead, and the superb Helen Mirren on the sidelines, Greenfingers is a winner all the way.Greenfingers is quite easy to get into. Joel Hershman, directing and writing sets up scenes well. It clocks in at a fine 90 minutes, so it never outstays its welcome. And the acting from all involved makes the film never less than pleasant to watch.Clive Owen plays Colin Briggs, a man who's been in prison ever since he killed his brother at the age of 18. He gets transferred to Edgefield, a more progressive prison system that favours rehabilitation over incarceration.For the first month, Colin keeps his head down. Left to his own devices. And forced to live with the guilt he secretly feels over the death of his brother. But one of the inmates and Colin's roommate Fergus Wilks (a very impressive David Kelly) takes an instant liking to Colin. Its Fergus who introduces Colin to the world of gardening when he gives him a packet of flower seeds for Christmas.By pure chance, when he buries them in the yard, Colin produces double-violets, all the more remarkable considering the awful soil he has to work with. The prison warden, Governor Hodge (Warren Clarke) senses that within Colin beats the heart of a true gardener. And starts up a gardening program.Along with Fergus and a group of selected inmates, they turn the barren wasteland of Edgefield into a lush garden. And when Georgina Woodhouse, (Helen Mirren), a respected horticulturist pays a visit, she sponsors Edgefield at the Hampton Court Flower Show. Accusations, parole hearings and even mice conspire against them, but can you win if you're a jailbird?Greenfingers is a film that reminds a lot of Sister Act. That of a really quite predictable film with lots of easily guessable character arcs and scenarios, but thanks to the finely shaded performances by the cast, it goes some way towards making up for all that, and makes the film more entertaining than it might have been in the hands of a less able cast.Clive Owen is expectedly excellent. He has a way of downplaying emotion without coming off as bland. And he utilises it to great effect. He's had a hard life and nothing to live for when he gets out of prison, but when he discovers his talent for gardening, it ignites a passion in him he never knew existed. Something that he will fight to protect. His speech at his parole hearing concerning how gardening has turned his life around is actually quite moving. What could have been trite and mawkish in another actor's hands becomes inspiring in Owen's.I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Helen Mirren, but she holds the screen effortlessly whenever she is around as Georgina Woodhouse (should have been Wodehouse, don't you think!?). Its an eccentric part, but Helen Mirren's fine line in arch delivery ensures you'll love her. Despite the god-awful hats she has to wear throughout!Also impressive is David Kelly as Fergus. A man who (like Colin) has spent much of his life in prison, he's become resigned to the fact he will die within the walls of Edgefield. His father/son relationship with Colin is nicely handled too, and when he does die, I like the monument they erect in his honour. Placed fittingly in the garden.Some plot strands are left dangling, like a prisoner who escapes and then gets forgotten about by the film, but I enjoyed Greenfingers for its lack of pretension. A very gracious film you don't see enough of on television nowadays. It has a nice moral too. How watching your garden grow can also do the same for your self-esteem.

ladyguiness Great entertaining film. Loved everything about it. Kept my interest throughout. I really cared about the characters. Great to see a movie about anything serious that is not "tongue in cheek" as so many American films seem to be these days. The acting was wonderful but Helen Miren and Clive Owen, always a joy to see, were great. I know when I see their names on a film I will always have a enjoyable view. Loved that it was a true story. Makes me think and want to know more. I will recommend this film to anyone looking for something for everyone. Never listen to critics, they all seem to be a bit jaded about the entire industry.

noralee I would probably go to see Clive Owens and Helen Mirren read the phone book, and I practically did in "Greenfingers," but it's still fun for fans of Brit coms and such. While Clive's "Colin" isn't one of the hardened convicts of HBO's "Oz," he is emotionally cut-off and his blooming with his flowers is sweet, facilitated by mentor David Kelley (from "Waking Ned Devine"). The love story doesn't quite ignite.The other reformed-through-horticulture prison-mates are the usual Brit class and race rainbow, so are hard to understand sometimes.It will make a nice episode of PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre." (originally written 8/4/2001)