Around the Fire (1999)

Director:

John Jacobsen

Writers:

John Comerford (writer)
Tommy Rosen (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Finding a place to belong is just the beginning.

Plot:

Around the Fire is the deeply resonant story of a boy named Simon (Devon Sawa), who despite being raised...

Plot Keywords:

Prodigal Son | LSD | Drugs | Graduation | Homosexuality

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Devon Sawa	...	Simon Harris
Bill Smitrovich	...	Matt Harris
Tara Reid	...	Jennifer
Eric Mabius	...	Andrew
Colman Domingo	...	Trace
Charlayne Woodard	...	Kate
Lisa Burgett	...	Lauren
Henri Lubatti	...	Kevin
John Pirruccello	...	Joe
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Doc
Daphne Brogdon	...	Simon's mother
Blaine Walker	...	Young Simon
Manny the Hippie	...	Vegan GooBall Man
Amos Glick	...	Neal
Heath Lourwood	...	Jason

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive drug content, language, and some sex/nudity.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA | Germany:16 | USA:R | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Novato, California, USA

Company:

Paradigm Studio

Quotes:

Matt: I uh didn't expect to see you here.
Simon: I didn't come here to fight. I'm not gonna stay long.
Matt: Well you can...if you want to.
Simon: Look I just wanted to tell you. Needless to say, I, I made a lot of mistakes Dad.
Matt: Me too.

Soundtrack:

Troubled Times

Derivative but fairly effective psychological drama

Probably the best thing about Around the Fire is Devon Sawa's performance. He plays a college bound teen who meets a group of new friends who quickly turn him on to drugs and a counter culture that is intriguing but ultimately leads to his downfall, as he uses it to escape the tragic loss of his mother and the family problems that surround it.

Although the story is heartfelt and unfolds well, it is also derivative and highly uneven. The director is careful not to use any real names of people or places in portraying the hippie/druggie sub-culture that the Sawa character falls prey to. This has a twin effect of leaving things a little vague, yet, bringing us into a real and hypnotically dazzling world.

However, the performances shine, elevating the film to a much more credible level. Sawa has grown into an actor of considerable depth and range and proves that he's at home as much here as he is in any number of his earlier, more emotionally shallow films.