Grow Review – A Refined Pumpkin Growing Caper Filled with Perky Charm and Comedic Talent

This lively UK family movie boasts a team of five scribes credited with the script, with a pair who provided “extra content”. This might clarify why the story beats unfold with such metronomic precision, and the characters seem as though they were cultivated hydroponically in a lab. Paradoxically, the backdrop is a family-run farm where farm-owner Dinah, an agronomist chooses organic methods motivated by her gifted niece Charlie, who can sense the feelings of plants through touch.

A Growing Bond and a Prize Pumpkin

Recently introduced, for motives the otherwise sleek screenplay doesn't clarify, Charlie and Dinah get to know each other across a few seasons – which aligns with the duration needed to grow a pumpkin for the annual village competition. Charlie aims to use the prize money to locate her mom, rumored to have run off to become a movie star in California.

The supporting cast is filled with charming comic performances from seasoned UK performers.

Notable Cameos and Antagonistic Foes

The maternal figure later emerges portrayed by a well-known actress, who, like Rosheuvel, has a background in popular series. Additionally, the lineup features a quirky horticulturist played by Nick Frost, who offers pumpkin-growing tips for the duo. Meanwhile, Tim McInnerny and Jane Horrocks play the Smythe-Gherkins, the villainous upper-class neighbors determined to win the contest for glory alone as they lack need for the cash prize.

• Nick Frost shines as a hippy horticulturist.
• The antagonists bring humorous conflict as wealthy rivals.
• The youthful Dominic McLaughlin plays Charlie’s school friend Oliver.

Youthful Talent and Filmmaking Style

Though his Scottish accent seems somewhat out of place in this setting, his subtle performance and comic timing are so adept it’s expected he has been cast 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 during a particular time of year.