Grow Review – A Refined Pumpkin Growing Caper Filled with Perky Charm and Humor Expertise
This upbeat British children's film boasts five different writers credited with the script, including two who provided “extra content”. This could explain why the story beats unfold with such metronomic precision, while the personalities seem as though they were cultivated in a controlled environment. Paradoxically, the setting is a homestead farm where farm-owner Dinah, an agronomist decides to go organic after being inspired by her gifted niece Charlie, who can sense the feelings of plants by touching them.
A Budding Relationship and a Contest-Winning Gourd
Having only recently met, for reasons the otherwise polished script doesn't clarify, Charlie and Dinah get to know each other over several seasons – which coincides with the time required to cultivate a pumpkin for the annual village competition. Charlie aims to use the prize money to find her mother, said to have left for pursue stardom in the US.
The supporting cast is filled with delightful humorous roles by veteran British actors.
Star-Studded Appearances and Antagonistic Foes
The maternal figure later emerges played by a well-known actress, similar to Rosheuvel, has a background in popular series. Moreover, the cast includes an eccentric gardener portrayed by Nick Frost, who provides pumpkin-growing tips to Dinah and Charlie. At the same time, Tim McInnerny and Jane Horrocks play the Smythe-Gherkins, the villainous upper-class neighbors set on winning the competition purely for prestige as they lack need for the monetary reward.
- Nick Frost excels in the role of a bohemian gardener.
- The foes bring humorous conflict as affluent competitors.
- Young Dominic McLaughlin plays Charlie’s school friend Oliver.
Young Actor's Skill and Filmmaking Style
Though his Scottish accent seems somewhat out of place in this setting, his dry underplaying and humor sense are so skillful it’s no surprise he has been cast for a major role in a future show. Director John McPhail keeps a lighthearted humorous vibe and stays unobtrusive with what is destined to serve as evening family fun during a particular time of year.
