Trailer for ‘the lost Julia Roberts movie’

Julia Roberts actually shot Dennis Lee’s Fireflies in the Garden back in 2007, around the same time as Charlie Wilson’s War, but after playing a few film festivals and opening in various territories overseas in 2008, it sat on the shelf until earlier this week, when an unnamed distributor decided to give it a US release in October. It’s one of Julia Roberts’ more complicated schemes to appear more youthful.

To an outsider, the Taylors are the very picture of the successful American family: Charles (Willem Dafoe) is a tenured professor on track to become university president, son Michael (Ryan Reynolds) is a prolific and well-known romance novelist, daughter Ryne (Shannon Lucio) is poised to enter a prestigious law school, and on the day we are introduced to them, matriarch Lisa (Julia Roberts) will graduate from college-decades after leaving to raise her children. But when a serious accident interrupts the celebration, the far more nuanced reality of this Midwestern family’s history and relationships come to light.
The film also stars Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hayden Panettiere and Shannon Lucio. |via LiveforFilms|

Julia Roberts smiles, Ryan Reynolds gets beardy, and Emily Watson still looks like a sad bird. Luckily, I could watch Willem Dafoe yell at little kids all day. Hey, it’s too bad the distributor never ‘lost’ Eat Pray Love, am I right? And is it just me, or does Fireflies in the Garden sound like a euphemism for venereal disease? If I wanted Fireflies in the Garden, I’d take a dip in Bob Evans’ jacuzzi. And how come they never name hurricanes after sistas? Thanks, folks, tip your servers. Hey, what’s up with airline food? (*bass run, farts ‘Yankee Doodle’*)

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