Greenfingers

Directed by Joel Hershman, this British film is based on a real story: inmates at Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire, won gold medals at the Royal Horticultural Society's invitation only Hampton Court Flower Show. When a New York Times article told that story, producer Trudie Styler decided to make the film. In it, Colin Briggs, serving time for murder, is drawn into gardening by his cellmate, builds a prison garden with the other inmates, and when it catches the eye of a famous gardener the group gets a shot at the flower show. Clive Owen and Helen Mirren lead, with garden design consultancy from one of Britain's best known garden designers and horticultural advice from the Royal Horticultural Society itself. The institutional origin of the prison garden competition is real too: the chairman of the Parole Board discovered in the 1980s that gardening was the most popular activity among prisoners and persuaded the society to judge the finalists. Critics were cool on it, with Roger Ebert finding it twee if pleasant enough, though audience scores run notably higher than the reviews. Who it's for: Anyone who enjoys warm British comedy and is curious about a real rehabilitation story. Who it's not for: Not for viewers wanting the hardness of prison drama, since the film is deliberately gentle and optimistic.