Ticket 2 Ride

A new series for Sundays. Each week a film that never broke box office records or bagged a bunch of Oscars, yet earned a respectable following.

Produced by the small English film company, Winchester Films, Greenfingers tells the story of minimum security prisoners who found some level of redemption through gardening. Loosely based on a true story, Greenfingers introduced many to young actor Clive Owen. The film also stars Dame Helen Mirren, and veteran actors David Kelly and Warren Clarke.

Director/screenwriter Joel Hershman has a light touch and delivers a romantic comedy in the serious world of British gardening and criminal rehabilitation. Produced on a modest budget of £2 million, this film unfortunately failed to earn back its budget. For most small films, commercial failure that would be the kiss of death, but Greenfingers has built a following during these past 25 years.

Colin Briggs (Owen) is serving a sentence for murder, although the circumstances are more sad than violent. He is placed in an experimental prison program where he falls into growing plants, courtesy of his elderly roommate Fergus. Colin’s biggest hurdle to rehabilitation is himself. A group of other prisoners become part of Colin’s gardening group including the terminally ill Fergus.

Enter Georgina Woodhouse (Mirren), a famous gardener, who takes an interest in Colin and helps him get out on parole. Colin struggles to adjust to life on the outside, he’s not come to grips about his crime and how to move forward, despite the romantic interest from Georgina’s daughter, and an entry-level job. He intentionally commits a crime to get sent back to prison.

With his prison gardening group, Colin enters the prestigious Hampton Court gardening show. Meanwhile, Fergus’s health falters and he passes, while Colin’s group faces other setbacks. The decision facing him is to fold under the pressure and expectations, as usual, or claw their way past these challenges.

Happiness is something Colin doesn’t feel like he deserves. Georgina believes in Colin, but initially isn’t supportive of his relationship with her daughter. One of Colin’s gardening team walks away from the prison, walking away from his own responsibilities, and putting the future of the prison’s experimental program at risk.

This film is about second chances, but it’s more a story of proving to yourself that you can rise above some bad luck, tough breaks, and costly decisions. Greenfingers has a lot of heart, as the cliche goes, but it isn’t preachy or too sentimental. The film introduced me to Clive Owen, a fine actor, who is surrounded by a group of other fine actors. Dame Helen is delightful, although she doesn’t have to work very hard, Georgina is a role she fits comfortably inside.

Greenfingers is 91 minutes of fun about love and gardening.