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Around the Fire begins as your basic coming-of-age flick, with troubled teenager Simon (Sawa) being sent to boarding school after getting caught shoplifting. The shift in education works out for the best however, as Simon's new roommate (Eric Mabius) introduces him to the joy of hitting the bong and following Phish, along with their legions of devoted youthful hippie groupies. This allows Simon to learn valuable lessons about life, discover himself, find true love, and do all the things coming-of-age characters do. Around the Fire manages to handle this potentially volatile subject matter with general ease, never really sinking into "After School Special" territory with its treatment of drug use. Sure, most of the movie is told in flashback with Simon explaining his story to a rehab counselor, but for a change, both pro- and anti-drug sides are taken. The cast is solid and, while the film does have a tendency to veer off into clichés, Sawa performs admirably in the lead. Around the Fire was likably engaging.
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