10 Best Ryan Reynolds Performances

10. Michael Taylor - Fireflies In The Garden (2008)

Fireflies in the Garden is one of Reynolds' more forgotten pictures, a powerful if melodramatic tragedy about loss, grief and family. Reynolds stars as Michael Taylor, a successful author who returns home after a long absence, only to learn that his mother (Julia Roberts) has died in a car accident.

Forced to confront his grief head-on, Michael must reconnect with his dominating and cruel father, Charles (Willem Dafoe). Michael's return to his old home and reconnection with his extended family opens up a series of old wounds, and threatens to push him away from his family more than ever before.

The film itself has moments of greatness, particularly in regards to the father-son story that drives it forward, but sometimes slips too far into over-the-top, forced drama with clunky flashbacks. But amongst all its issues, there is Reynolds, whose portrayal of Michael is as striking as it is dripping with palpable grief and emotional pain. He's at once charming, witty, intelligent and beaten down, his past threatening to eat him up with every scene.