Around the Fire (1998)

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

It's worth watching if you're a guy who wants to see Bunny Lebowski dressed up as a hot hippie. Otherwise, it is a very inaccurate portrayal of what life is like on tour. Despite the fact the Dead let the producers use one of the best versions of "Brown Eyed Women" available (8/27/72 I believe?), it's a thinly veiled, misinformed, anti-drug tirade that has nothing to do with how things are conducted within the hippie tour community.The story starts off with good intentions, but if the people responsible for this movie had stuck with the real story of a misfit trying to find someplace to fit in, it would have worked. Every kid whose been on tour eventually has to deal with the drug thing, but this movie gets distracted by that impasse, dragging the whole movie into a big authority power trip. Having been on tour many times, I can tell you that the experience of it could fill a movie with wonderful characters, hilarious situations and sacred moments. But someone somewhere decided that a movie like that would be celebrating a lifestyle that Big Brother does not condone.

I really liked the movie. Doing the dead show thing for many years during the late 80's and throughout the 90's I can distinguish between complete fiction and what experiences may have wanted to be conveyed. The movie has some good music, pretty decent acting and a point to make. Tara looks really cute doing the hippy thing and the girl/boy thing really does remind me of some great times and rocky roads. I can personally relate to the balancing act of school/shows/girls/drugs. All in all, it is a bit corny, but real life can be, most scripts are, and I find it to be much better than most the crap I see being made. I bought the DVD with a stack of others and actually kept it and have enjoyed watching it more than once. Worth checking out.

Overall, the movie was great! There weren't any bad scenes, boring scenes, or stupid scenes. In my opinion, it was Devon's best movie, sad thing is it wasn't that noticeable. Devon played an excellant Simon, a teen who must choose between the materialistic life his father has chosen for him or to live life freely as it comes. In this movie, you can really see how good of an actor Devon is. While watching the film, it's so good that you don't even notice it's really Devon, you think it's real and Devon is really Simon, and you can see his point of view on things. When Simon is upset, you're upset. When he's really mad, you feel mad and when he's happy, you are happy. All of Devon's emotions in this movie are awesome! I definitly recommend this movie, not just to Devon fans, but to everyone.

First major effort of Co-Writers as stand-alone independent film. Extremely well produced, well written, well acted film. Storyline holds up throughout; interaction between characters is genuine. Would be received very well by younger viewers in late teens or early twenties. Very fulfilling story of a young man's struggle in coming to terms with his own past, present and future.