GROW (2025)

October 16, 2025

Greetings again from the darkness. I’m not sure if pumpkins get short-changed with most of their attention coming only during one season, or if perhaps they receive more attention than deserved during that season. Either way, pumpkins are rarely at the center of a cinematic event … despite having their moments during animated TV specials like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “Spookley, the Square Pumpkin”. Director John McPhail (the excellent ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, 2017) sets out to change that with a screenplay by a trio of writers: Nick Guthrie (MINI’S FIRST TIME, 2006), Ruth Fletcher (“Hawaii Five-O”), and Ruth’s husband and writing partner, Christos N. Gage.

Common sense tells us that if you are going to have a family-friendly, heartwarming story, then you best include a kid worthy of attention. When we first meet young Charlie Little (Priya Rose-Brookwell, “The Lazarus Project”), she’s trying to escape from a home for abandoned kids so that she can track down her mother … a mother who left her behind to pursue the bright lights of Hollywood. Instead of locating her mother, Charlie gets connected with her Aunt Dinah (Golda Rosheuvel, “Bridgerton”). It’s not a smooth transition because Charlie is a precocious child who wants to be loved, and Aunt Dinah is a very reserved woman trying to make ends meet on her struggling Little Farm.

Mugford, the local village, is known as the Pumpkin Capital of the World, and Charlie immediately dedicates herself to winning the cash prize at this year’s contest for the biggest pumpkin. See, Charlie is not just a spirited kid, she is also one with plants – she converses with them, and feels what they feel. Charlie and Dinah enlist the help of Arlo (Nick Frost, The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy), a local with some past success in the contest. What’s surprising here is the nefarious activities of those involved with the contest – secrets, vandalism, and outright cheating. In other words, the pumpkin contest turns into a life lesson for young Charlie who always sees the best in others – even Toby the dog.

Charlie pampers ‘Peter’, her prize pumpkin, while we get riffs on PSYCHO and THE GODFATHER, and even a use for lion dung. Supporting work comes from Joe Wilkinson (“After Life”) as Dinah’s former farmhand, Jane Horrocks and Tim McInnerny as local pumpkin legends, and Jeremy Swift (“Ted Lasso”) as a lab technician under intense pressure. The film reminds me of some of the Disney movies from the 1960’s, as it’s charming and funny, and offers up some life lessons – complete with emotional depth as the relationship between Charlie and her Aunt Dinah develops. I don’t get many full-blown family films to review, and it’s nice to see one that works on multiple levels.

Opens nationwide on October 17, 2025

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

SWIMMING WITH MEN (2018)

December 6, 2018

 Greetings again from the darkness. If you are surprised to find a movie about an all-men’s middle-aged synchronized swim team, then you’ll likely be shocked to learn that another film on the same topic, LE GRAND BAIN (Sink or Swim), was released earlier this year, and these follow up a 2010 documentary MEN WHO SWIM covering the Swedish Men’s synchronized swim team. That’s right … three films! It is with great pleasure that I report director Olive Parker and writer Aschlin Ditta have delivered a charming and heartfelt movie that is really quite enjoyable, and more nuanced than you might pre-judge it to be.

Rob Brydon (THE TRIP) stars as Eric, a successful accountant going through a mid-life crisis that negatively affects his work, his marriage to Heather (a terrific Jane Horrocks), and his relationship with his teenage son Billy (Spike White). Eric spends his office days in a foggy haze, waiting for 6:00 pm so he can hit the local pool for a few laps – his only time alone without thoughts of boredom. On one of these evening dips, he (and we) get quite a visual … 7 men in goggles and caps sitting on the pool floor in a coordinated manner.

Soon enough, thanks to his math and analytical skills, Eric is invited to join the swim club (first rule of swim club: Don’t talk about swim club!) consisting of team leader Luke (Rupert Graves), dentist Kurt (Adeel Akhtar), young scofflaw Tom (Thomas Turgoose), recent widower Ted (Jim Carter), former youth footballer Colin (Daniel Mays), the “new guy” (Ronan Daly), and “Silent Bob” (Chris Jepson). Rather than the island of misfit toys, it’s a group of slightly damaged men – each with their own story of why life isn’t so great at the moment. We learn about each right along with Eric, and easily see how he fits right in. This group alternates drowning their sorrows with a pint at the local pub with nearly drowning each other at the local pool … with only the best intentions, of course.

Once the lads learn there is a competition in Milan, they bring on local swim teacher Susan (a spunky Charlotte Riley, “Peaky Blinders”) to coach them towards respectability. Sure, we get a few clichés and the predictability of events is usually spot on; yet, there is a core to the story and to each of the men that brings a welcome depth. Their coordination in the water leads to their better balance on dry land (aka, everyday life).

This is far from traditional cinematic masculinity, and instead shows us the impact of friendship and purpose. The original reason for forming the team was to protest the meaningless of life – to find their purpose. This is accomplished through the brilliance of gentle British humor (think DANNY DECKCHAIR, THE FULL MONTY, EDDIE THE EAGLE), and the clumsiness of full-bodied men in a pool … accompanied by Tom Jones’ version of “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World”.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson