Weeds

WEEDS is an offbeat look at the American penal system and the criminals who pass through it. Lee Umstetter (Nick Nolte), an inmate sentenced to life with no chance of parole, tries to distract his mind from his fate by reading. Then after watching a local theater troupe perform for the prisoners, Umstetter writes his own play, basing it on the dehumanizing prison experience. He is given permission to perform the play for the inmates, and the playwright casts his work with enthusiastic prisoners. Lillian Bingington (Rita Taggart), a San Francisco drama critic, sees the play and is so impressed with both Umstetter's writing and acting that she works to get him parole...