Around the Fire (1999)

Around the Fire (1999) stars Devon Sawa as an acid-happy groupie who wakes up in court-ordered rehab after getting arrested at a concert. Switching between his childhood, his present, and the events leading up to his concert collaring, the film traces his descent into the unwashed hippie hell that first beckoned him at prep school. It was there that he escaped the pain of being a bully magnet by taking up with stoners—and from there on out, it was all tie-dye, painted tits, and Deadheaddy doings. Among his new buds are Colman Domingo, the friendly neighborhood acid dealer; Eric Mabius, a wheelchair-bound burnout with AIDS; and Tara Reid, the van-dwelling, band-following peddler of veggie stir fry who has a grubby, patchouli-soaked love affair with Dev. Less a "drugs are bad" film than a character study, Around the Fire shows Dev learning that his happiness is up to him and him alone. And it also shows him getting hiiiiiigh.