Rating: 
Summary: this is a fun and great moive
Review: Acouple of year ago i was on the set watching this moive being made. It was a lot of fun because the eara where they were filming was really was created into a deadhead consert seen. I have seen this moive about 5 time and i sitll watch it. This moive should have been bigger but there was not a lot of money for advertisement. So see biggest and the best independent film of a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful performances by Tara and Devon in a deep film
Review: Around The Fire is not your typical teen movie. It deals with one young mans experiences with drugs and his battle within himself to recover. Devon Sawa excellently portrays the young man, who discovers the world of drugs while away at school. While his new found friends can handle casual drug usage, it seems to take over control of his body and mind, and he becomes a totally different person. One of his new friends, Jennifer, a vegi stir-fry cook, brilliantly portrayed by Tara Reid, shows true compassion and love for him, and stands by him and supports, and helps him throughout his endeavours and ordeals, even after he treats her like garbage while the two of them are at his father and stepmother's house for dinner. She once again shows that she is a very talented and diverse actress and can handle the most dramatic roles with flying colours. The soundtrack is very nice and it's nice to watch a movie that actually tells a story, and sort of pulls you in to relate to the characters, and feel for them. At times you feel for Simon, (Devon's character), and at times you think he's a real jerk, especially how he treats Jennifer at dinner, when it's obvious she's only trying to be supportive, and show how much she truly cares for, and about him. It may not be an action packed, sex filled, blockbuster, but it is a very enjoyable, well acted film.
Rating: 
Summary: Believably good.
Review: Around the Fire isn't a great film. It isn't even necessarily an artistically good movie. It is, however, a believable movie and, in the context of a more recent hollywood drug-message film -- Traffic -- that makes it a worthwhile one-time watch, especially if you can catch it on cable. In fact, most of the redeeming qualities of this movie emerge in comparison to Traffic, and it's unfortunate that Soderbergh didn't consult Around the Fire before directing his shamefully overstated story line. What see in one of Traffic's subplots -- a rich girl suddenly involved so deeply in narcotics that she even condescends to (gasp!) sleep with a black man -- smacked of needless moralizing without bothering to present a believable family dynamic. In fact, Traffic reinforced the message, touted by the DEA (which the film supposedly critisized), that marijuana is a gateway drug, that it leads to a slippery slope to heroin, speed and crack, and that drugs in general make white girls do undignified things. Around the Fire, on the other hand, gives us a family burdened by years of miscommunication, a main character who gets high and still graduates from prep school, and a whole host of likeable and casual users. Several internet reviews call this film didactic, comparing it to propaganda films like Reefer Madness. In fact the real bugaboo in the story isn't drugs. It's sad miscommunication and completely justified rebellion. Cut to some realistic acid-trip cinematography, and we have a film that shows us the lighter, enjoyable side of recreational use. Did Soderbergh forget that people use drugs because they're interesting? John Jacobson, first time director of Around the Fire, didn't, and it's refreshing to see a movie where the psychological and social motivations for use are balanced with the more general fact that, yes indeedy, drugs are fun. The movie does not, however, celebrate or even recommend your weekend high. The overarching message is that the context of use matters, as evidenced in a couple of bad trip sequences. Anyone who has dosed knows that individual frame of mind effects the outcome of the acid experience. The cause of every bad trip in this movie, correctly, is the psychological demon that the lead character needs to confront, not the "traffic" of drugs. Finally, Jacobson portrays the family therapy industry with sympathy that doesn't cross the line into absurdity, as the therapy sequences in Traffic do. Recall the bloated image in Soderbergh's flick of a young woman testifying in a huge marbled room strewn with silk banners (a la Prospero's Book) needlessly swaying from the ceiling. Now fade to Jacobson's simple carpeted room in an office building at a rehab clinic, father and son sitting face to face, backed by silent wittnesses sitting behind them, and you see therapy as it actually unfolds in clinics all across America. The primary gift of this movie, overall, is that, far removed from the aesthetic pretense of film-fest elites, it simply unfolds a story as hundreds of like stories actually unfold. A good, not great, movie that shows the value of family without pandering to the political rhetoric of "family values," Around the Fire is a decent movie-night watch. Because it doesn't try to grapple with huge social issues, it can freely and believably portray the immediate, personal issues that Traffic tried, fitfully and failingly, to deal with.
Rating:
Summary: Believably good.
Review: Around the Fire isn't a great film. It isn't even necessarily an artistically good movie. It is, however, a believable movie and, in the context of a more recent hollywood drug-message film -- Traffic -- that makes it a worthwhile one-time watch, especially if you can catch it on cable. In fact, most of the redeeming qualities of this movie emerge in comparison to Traffic, and it's unfortunate that Soderbergh didn't consult Around the Fire before directing his shamefully overstated story line. What see in one of Traffic's subplots -- a rich girl suddenly involved so deeply in narcotics that she even condescends to (gasp!) sleep with a black man -- smacked of needless moralizing without bothering to present a believable family dynamic. In fact, Traffic reinforced the message, touted by the DEA (which the film supposedly critisized), that marijuana is a gateway drug, that it leads to a slippery slope to heroin, speed and crack, and that drugs in general make white girls do undignified things. Around the Fire, on the other hand, gives us a family burdened by years of miscommunication, a main character who gets high and still graduates from prep school, and a whole host of likeable and casual users. Several internet reviews call this film didactic, comparing it to propaganda films like Reefer Madness. In fact the real bugaboo in the story isn't drugs. It's sad miscommunication and completely justified rebellion. Cut to some realistic acid-trip cinematography, and we have a film that shows us the lighter, enjoyable side of recreational use. Did Soderbergh forget that people use drugs because they're interesting? John Jacobson, first time director of Around the Fire, didn't, and it's refreshing to see a movie where the psychological and social motivations for use are balanced with the more general fact that, yes indeedy, drugs are fun. The movie does not, however, celebrate or even recommend your weekend high. The overarching message is that the context of use matters, as evidenced in a couple of bad trip sequences. Anyone who has dosed knows that individual frame of mind effects the outcome of the acid experience. The cause of every bad trip in this movie, correctly, is the psychological demon that the lead character needs to confront, not the "traffic" of drugs. Finally, Jacobson portrays the family therapy industry with sympathy that doesn't cross the line into absurdity, as the therapy sequences in Traffic do. Recall the bloated image in Soderbergh's flick of a young woman testifying in a huge marbled room strewn with silk banners (a la Prospero's Book) needlessly swaying from the ceiling. Now fade to Jacobson's simple carpeted room in an office building at a rehab clinic, father and son sitting face to face, backed by silent wittnesses sitting behind them, and you see therapy as it actually unfolds in clinics all across America. The primary gift of this movie, overall, is that, far removed from the aesthetic pretense of film-fest elites, it simply unfolds a story as hundreds of like stories actually unfold. A good, not great, movie that shows the value of family without pandering to the political rhetoric of "family values," Around the Fire is a decent movie-night watch. Because it doesn't try to grapple with huge social issues, it can freely and believably portray the immediate, personal issues that Traffic tried, fitfully and failingly, to deal with.
Rating:
Summary: Cool
Review: Being a teenager i am going through this now, i loved the movie my main problem is that before i bought it i could only watch it at like 1am on stars. I can watch it over and over. It shows what teenagers go through and how drugs are in there life, personally i think most teenagers would love the movie. It shows that you can do drugs and have a great life, as long as you don't get out of control with it.
Rating:
Summary: An ABC Afterschool Special for and by Acid Heads !
Review: Hmmmmm... you kinda get the impression that the makers of this film had some legal problems so they had to drop any reference to the jam band PHISH from the film - - so even though they're following a Phish-like band, with very Phish-like followers listening to very Phish-like music and smoking and dropping Phish-like stuff on a Phish-like scene you don't really hear the word PHISH that much... Whatever the case, I kinda dug the film at first for the music - - lot's of that funky jam stuff... even some Dead, Meters, Bob Marley... then there was the story... and of course you have the emotional tie in... at first this nieve kid liberated from a snobby boarding school making the scene, making friends, experiencing the music and drugs, then getting too deep and turning into this messed up acid head drug dealer at odds with his girlfriend and his Dad and step Mom - - eventually, the story goes from Rock and Roll to ABC after school special but overall its a pretty cool film... and besides, I don't even drop acid, and I've seen colors coming out of water fountain like that too ! Thirty some years after THE STRAWBERRY STATEMENT, HAIR and BILLY JACK, this is a film for and by the groovy people !
Rating:
Summary: IT DOESNT GET ANY BETTER
Review: I first heard of this movie while sitting in my friends garage passing around a bowl and watching the movie grass. I beleive around the fire was the second preview on this movie. I headed to the video store and picked up this movie right away. I watched it 4 times in the 2 days that i had it and then went out and bought it. It is a gem, this movie is a tale of a young man who discovers the joy and happiness of life on the road with your favorite bands. the soundtrack is amazing (features bob marley, phish, grateful dead and more). I watched this movie with my uncle, who was a "dead head" (which means he followed the grateful dead on tour) and my cousin who works with the band phish as a roadie. they both said that this movie is the real deal. it made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me think, not many movies have done all of that for me. rent this movie!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: best movie ever made
Review: i gotta say, i don't watch a whole lot a movies, but this is by far the best movie i've ever seen. in fact, i kinda detest movies and tv, but this isn't like others. this is a must see, actually kids, its a must have. i'm not one to help these big companies gain business, but seriously kids, you got to see this. its written and produced by dead-heads, and i don't know if most of the cast are, but their still chillin heads, you can tell. i can totally relate to this movie, and anyone whose been on tour can either relate it to themselves or thier friends, definately. i know many many kids who got too caught up in working and doing drugs, who become too selfish and greedy and forget what the fam's and tour's and the music is really about, and thats whats this movie's all about. they do a very good job of duplicating the lot scene, of course the don't get every little detail, but trust me kids, you'll be suprised. just see it, rent it at the least, then you'll want it. i just rented it today, just chillin out with my parents and sister, and they asked me to go get some movies. and this caught my eye. you won't be disappointed. peace and love kids
Rating: 
Summary: DISAPPOINTED
Review: I heard this movie was really good. So I rented it because I go to alot of shows and know how the scene is. Well I popped it in and watched it, and I was really disappointed. First off the movie was pretty slow in some parts.... Another thing is yeah there's drugs there, but that's why you have to be smart and say no!! And it makes the scene look bad by centering the movie around acid!!!! Because there's not always that at shows, and now some dumb teenager is going to go to the shows because they watched Around the Fire and said "Wow there's acid there!!!" It's all about the music!!
I gave this movie 2 stars because Devon is hot, and Tara Reid is pretty cool too. Other then that the movie was terrible.
Rating:
Summary: enjoyable film
Review: I just watched this flick...might I add a great soundtrack and a nice fast moving story line. I thought is was a good movie overall and was glad i bought...being a phish head i have been to many shows and they have really duplicated the scene pretty well on the movie... anyways definitely check it out
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