| Greenfingers | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the 2002 DVD release | |
| Directed by | Joel Hershman |
| Written by | Joel Hershman |
| Produced by | Trudie Styler Travis Swords Daniel J. Victor |
| Starring | Clive Owen Helen Mirren David Kelly |
| Cinematography | John Daly |
| Edited by | Tariq Anwar |
| Distributed by | MGM[1] Winchester Films[2] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £2 million |
| Box office | $1.9 million[3] |
Greenfingers is a 2000 Britishcomedy filmdirected and written byJoel Hershman. It is loosely based on the true story about the award-winning prisoners ofHMP Leyhill, a minimum-security prison in theCotswolds,England,[4] a story published inThe New York Times in 1998.[5]
When Colin Briggs, a convicted murderer,[6] is placed in the experimental H.M.P. Edgefield programme to finish off hisprison sentence, all he wants is peace and quiet. After his wise, elderly roommate Fergus (a recoveringalcoholic imprisoned for killing three wives)[4] introduces him togardening, Colin uncovers a talent and passion forplants. When a row erupts between cellmates about a patch of double-violets Colin had secretly planted, warden Gov. Hodge assigns him to cultivate a garden with fellow prisoners Tony, Jimmy, and Raw.[7]
Georgina Woodhouse, a celebrated gardener and author, visits the prison garden and gives it a good review. She recruits the prisoners forwork release, gardening at an estate. While on the job, Colin falls in love with Georgina's daughter, Primrose. Despite opposition from its Board, Georgina arranges for the Edgefield gardeners to compete in theHampton Court Flower Show.
Unfortunately, the estate is robbed of a priceless tapestry and the police suspect that at least one of the prisoners is responsible. The team's invitation to compete at Hampton Court is canceled. Tony, the prime suspect, runs away.
Colin tells theparole board that gardening has helped rehabilitate him, and he's approved for release. Before leaving, Colin eventually tells Fergus how, when he was 18, he beat his younger brother to death in a blind rage for having an affair with the girl he was about to marry.
Upon his release, Colin moves into a spare room on the Woodhouse property. He and Primrose make their romantic relationship official. This upsets Georgina, who worries for Primrose's safety.
It's discovered that none of the prisoners were responsible for the estate's robbery, and hence, they can once again compete at the flower show. During a visit, Jimmy and Raw inform Colin that Fergus's health is failing. Colin, wanting to join his team in the competition, breaks into a flower shop, steals a bunch of yellow roses that he delivers to Primrose's doorstep to tell her that their relationship must end and is sent back to Edgefield.
The visitingHome Secretary tells the gardeners to create adesert-likerock garden for the Show that would be metaphorical of imprisonment, much to Colin's annoyance. The group gets to work but Fergus passes away, Colin burns down the rock garden under the cover of night. This allows the Edgefield prisoners to create a new, lush garden from scratch.
At Hampton Court, Colin scatters Fergus's ashes in the garden that Edgefield has submitted for competition. Georgina arranges an encounter between Primrose and Colin, who reconcile over his breaking parole. He asks if she'll wait for him until he's released the following spring, to which she agrees.
The Edgefield garden creates a stir yet fails to place in competition, but Gov. Hodge tells the prisoners that he's incredibly proud of their efforts. Before the event is over, though, they are convoked by H.M. Queen Elizabeth, the Show's Patron: she wants a private meeting with Colin, Raw, and Jimmy because she feels, unofficially, that they were robbed at judging. An epilogue reveals the Edgefield prisoners went on to win the most prestigious gardening awards for their future gardens.
The film was shot in Britain in five weeks on a budget of £2 million, with the help of theRoyal Horticultural Society and English garden designerRosemary Verey.[8]
The film received mixed-to-negative reviews.Roger Ebert gave it two out of four stars, calling the film "twee," and "amusing enough," though he felt that people should wait to watchGreengfingers oncable television.[9]
Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian similarly wrote that the film was "An amiable, fairly unexceptionable, and very English little film, though written and directed by the AmericanJoel Hershman..." and declared it "slightly racy but pretty unexciting."[10]
Dave Kehr ofThe New York Times criticized the film for "[striving] to be an adorable Anglo-Irish comedy," and coming across "as synthetic as a rubber rose." He also felt protagonist Colin's development into an avid gardener was rushed.[11]
TheMiami Herald's critic Connie Ogle was more positive, categorizing the film as "Britquirk, films about odd, good-hearted, thick-accented underdogs." Ogle wrote that the film was "pleasant, mildly uplifting entertainment," and "Greenfingers combats its inherent corniness with doses of wry humor."[12]
A Japanese version headed by Japanese groupArashi memberMasaki Aiba was held on stage in Tokyo in 2009.[13][14]