Film Analysis: Grow – A Refined Pumpkin Growing Caper Filled with Perky Charm and Humor Expertise
This lively UK family movie boasts five different writers listed for the screenplay, including two who contributed “additional material”. This could explain why the story beats unfold with clockwork accuracy, while the personalities seem as though they were developed in a controlled environment. Paradoxically, the setting is a family-run farm where farm-owner Dinah, an agronomist chooses organic methods after being inspired by her magical niece Charlie, who can sense the feelings of plants through touch.
A Growing Bond and a Contest-Winning Gourd
Having only recently met, for motives the otherwise sleek screenplay fails to explain, Dinah and Charlie get to know each other over several seasons – which coincides with the duration needed to grow a pumpkin for the local yearly contest. Charlie aims to use the prize money to find her mother, said to have run off to become a movie star in California.
The ensemble cast is filled with delightful humorous roles from seasoned UK performers.
Notable Cameos and Antagonistic Foes
The maternal figure later emerges portrayed by a well-known actress, similar to Rosheuvel, has a background in hit shows. Moreover, the lineup features a quirky horticulturist played by Nick Frost, who provides pumpkin-growing tips to Dinah and Charlie. Meanwhile, Jane Horrocks and Tim McInnerny play the Smythe-Gherkins, the villainous upper-class neighbors determined to win the competition for glory alone since they don’t need the cash prize.
- Nick Frost shines as a hippy horticulturist.
- The antagonists add comedic tension as wealthy rivals.
- Young Dominic McLaughlin plays Charlie’s school friend Oliver.
Young Actor's Skill and Filmmaking Style
While his Scottish tone seems somewhat out of place in this context, his dry underplaying and comic timing are so adept it’s expected he was chosen for a leading part in an upcoming series. Director John McPhail maintains a buoyant comedy tone and doesn’t interfere with what is destined to be suitable evening family fun for a specific seasonal period.
