Greenfingers
- Clive Owen: Colin Briggs
- Helen Mirren: Georgina Woodhouse
- David Kelly: Fergus Wilks
- Warren Clarke: Hodge
- Danny Dyer: Tony
- Adam Fogerty: Raw
- Paterson Joseph: Jimmy
- Natasha Little: Primrose Woodhouse
- Sally Edwards: Susan Hodge
- Peter Guinness: Dudley
- Lucy Punch: Holly
- Donald Douglas: Nigel
- Kevin McMonagle: Laurence
- Julie Saunders: Sarah
- Jordan Maxwell: John
Greenfingers - Harte Jungs and tender shoots ( Greenfingers ) is a British-American comedy film from 2000 directed by Joel Hershman, who also wrote the screenplay..
Action
The prisoner Colin Briggs is imprisoned in an open prison of a British prison. There, he meets the old Fergus, he rejects first gruffly. However, when he learns that Fergus is seriously ill, he cares about him. Fergus manages for gardening Briggs - his secret obsession - to care. Along with some fellow prisoners they begin to set up a prison garden. Here, Colin turns out to be true natural talent with a green thumb. The wife of the prison director manages to draw the attention of the famous botanist Georgina Woodhouse on these activities, which allows inmates to work for them outside the prison.
This teaches Briggs Georgina's daughter Primrose Woodhouse know in which he falls in love. Woodhouse is on the skills of the prisoners so excited that it to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, the largest annual garden show of England logs. Then they get into suspected to have sold information on valuable items in the customer's house, because it was stolen. As of now they can only work within the prison, attendance at Hampton Court is also no longer possible.
After some time, Briggs is on parole and starts a relationship with Wood Houses daughter Primrose ( to German: Primrose ). Since he, despite his great talent gets a job as an ex- prisoner and he hears that the remaining prisoners get stuck so right in their horticultural activities, he decides to return to jail. He commits a petty offense, ended the relationship to Primrose and can be arrested.
Back in the prison, the prisoners their horticultural activities are continuing with full team again. One day, during a visit of two ministers, they receive another opportunity to participate in this year's Hampton Court exhibition. At the request of the Minister they are present there, a rock garden, but they may not suit you. Shortly before the completion of only dies Fergus, and then provide some apparent errors contributing prisoners ( dried plants, a sudden plague of mice ) that the project is seriously threatened. Finally, the garden is also still up in flames.
The Hampton Court show will be opened. The prisoners have hastily created a new garden: a wildlife garden with a scrap car and a figure in it, representing the deceased Fergus. Contrary to expectations, they win a prize. Colin meets there but Primrose, and with the support of her mother, the two come closer again. Colin asks Primrose, to wait for him until he is released again next spring, what these promises, of course. Then they get the message, the Queen personally wish to speak the gardener ends prisoners as they have their garden very impressed.
Background
The plot was inspired by the article Free to Grow Bluebells in England by Paula Deitz in the New York Times in 1998.
In the credits the following message appears: The prison later gardeners won silver and gold medals at the Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Finally they even the highest honor was awarded. The Tudor Rose.
The production cost was estimated at £ 5 million. The film had its world premiere on 10 September 2000 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He had on 13 July 2001, the British movie premiere followed on 14 September 2001 and the German on 14 February 2002. The film played in the cinemas of the United States about 1.4 million U.S. dollars Its U.S. premiere.
In a supporting role as President of the Royal Horticultural Society Trevor Bowen can be seen.
Reviews
English-language reviews
Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun - Times dated 3 August 2001, the film is entertaining enough to pass time, but he was one of those films that you expect on cable television. The plot was " populated with standardized characters ."
Kevin Thomas wrote in the Los Angeles Times on July 27. 2001, the film was despite the talented actor failed ( " Despite cast of talented actors, " Green Fingers " is all thumbs" ).
Rotten Tomatoes wrote of the film follow the well-being generating formula that would defeat privileged people in the socially disadvantaged people and add nothing new to the " saturated " Genre added ( " Greenfingers follows the British feel-good formula of underdogs somehow beating the odds, adding nothing new to this already saturated genre ").
German -language reviews
The lexicon of international film proclaims: " Light comedy based on a true story, solid staged on the type of standard " Britcoms "; entertaining, but too harmless."
The Journal prism rated the film in its online movie database with one of five stars and said:. "Without the spirit of similar films from the UK here says director Joel Hershman a brave social comedy which rather seems like a modern fairy tale The whole is unfortunately barely edged and therefore can not really entertained, unless you like slick stories. "
Awards
The film was nominated in 2001 for the Political Film Society Award for Human Rights and the Political Film Society Award for Exposé.