neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Greenfingers
	Joel Hershman Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, David Kelly, Natasha Little 2001 Widescreen; closed caption; Spanish, English subtitles; theatrical trailers.		Too mild to matter much, this is another in the tradition of recent, off-kilter British comedies that emphasize quintessentially eccentric characters triumphing over the odds (i.e. "Waking Ned Devine," "The Full Monty," and "Saving Grace"). Director Joel Hershman dug into the real-life exploits of imprisoned criminals who discovered a knack for gardening and parlayed the skills into international recognition. "Greenfingers" fictionalizes the subject, which proves to be fertile loam for a knee-jerk feel-good movie. Clive Owen, so compelling in "Croupier," seems wasted as murderer Colin Briggs, the leader of the gardening gang at a minimum-security prison. Briggs is inspired by aging lifer Fergus Wilks (David Kelly of "Waking Ned Devine"), and soon, the convicts' botanical expertise is being encouraged by upper-class gardening expert Georgina Woodhouse (Helen Mirren) and her pretty daughter Primrose (Natasha Little). If you wonder whether Colin will try to pluck Primrose, you're a little green yourself.