Fireflies in the Garden cinema release

By edavies

AN all star cast adorn this tale of a dysfunctional American family but the likes of Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, Carrie Anne Moss and Emily Watson cannot save this turgid melodrama.

As Michael Taylor (Reynolds) wings his way cross country to attend a family celebration in his Midwestern hometown, the realities of his adult life — a teetering marriage and a less than lofty, if prolific, career as a romantic novelist — crowd his thoughts, along with decades of old memories of angry conflict with his abusive father (Willem Dafoe).

The only mitigating factor is the opportunity to see his Aunt Jane (Emily Watson), his mother's younger sister and co-conspirator in his youthful rebellions.

Upon arrival, Michael faces an entirely different scenario. As he and younger sister Ryne (Shannon Lucio) struggle to connect during the drive from the airport to their childhood home, they come upon the scene of a car accident that has taken the life of their mother Lisa (Julia Roberts) in the prime of her life.

Funeral plans replace the graduation celebration and as he mourns his mother, Michael must come to grips with his fractured relationship with his father.

The movie dragged on interminably for me and it runs for 99 minutes and is a 15 certificate.