Growing Op

I have a weakness for comedies that involve marijuana. Woody Allen's Sleeper is my favourite comedy of all time. JPod made me hoot. Stacey Keach slowly turning into a lizard in Nice Dreams is one of the funniest comedic ideas ever. Peter Sellers and Herbert Lomb, with wax face melting while high on laughing gas is the scene in movies most likely to make me get the uncontrollable giggles (I know it was not marijuana, but its the same sort of idea).

Growing Op is about a left wing authoritarian father somewhat like Ward Clever who grows marijuana for a living in his kitchen in the middle of an upper class neighbourhood with a rather stodgy teenage son. The premise is ripe with comic potential. Unfortunately, the movie hardly exploits any of it.

It a formulaic story about a dorky guy, Quinn, who lusts after the girl, puts up with hazing, then gets her. The marijuana growing is really just a backdrop.

There are two mildly villainous characters, his rival, Philip, a conceited, dazzlingly handsome blond boy (still photos don't do him justice), played by Jon Cor and Quinn's younger sister, played by Katie Boland, who wears garish clothes and makeup, who bullies him.

Philip has the best line in the movie when he explains he will not use violence against Quinn in his rivalry because otherwise has father would not send him to law school.

These villains are fun, but barely on screen enough to let you relish them. As in any teen movie, there are a number of preposterously shallow, air head girls.

Father is not funny, just annoying. Rosanna Arquette, as Mom, gets a few good scenes, but she is basically wasted. In a comedy, unexpected things should happen. This move is far too realistic and boring.

There is a fair bit of obligatory soft porn between the two leads. Neither of them was particularly sexy, so for me it just felt embarrassing. Even the actors gave out the vibe they could hardly wait to get it over with. Rachael has a strange way of smiling sometimes that reminds me of Mr. Burns in The Simpsons. It is quite off-putting, as if she were an imbecile. I am not sure if it was intentional.

Quinn, (Steven Yaffe), a home educated teenager growing up in a family with counter culture parents who run a suburban grow-up wants to lead a normal life. He enrolls in a local high school in order to pursue the girl next door. His attempts to win the girl of his dreams run afoul the school president who sets the high school bullies on him. After enduring humiliation Quinn manages to turn the tables on his tormentors and beat the system at the same time. The funniest high school comedy since "Rock and Roll High School" Neatly reverses the usual stoner formula. Highly sympathetic and nuanced performance from Rosanna Arquette as the mother. "Growing Op" appeals to both the sixties generation and today's teen agers. Both groups see themselves in this movie. High energy, strong music score, MTV style editing and polished script and direction drive this picture along. Not to be missed.

I had the good fortune to see this film at the opening night ceremony for the Silver Wave Film Festival in Fredericton. It is, quite simply, the best independent feature film I have ever seen come out of New Brunswick. This feel-good movie about a teenager who has trouble fitting in, because of his radically anti-establishment marijuana-growing parents is funny and original. There is plenty in it to make you laugh and the female lead (Rachel Blanchard) is extremely attractive in a "girl-next-door" kind of way. When I first heard that the movie was about drugs, I was worried that it would be narrow, unimaginative and predictable; however this movie is anything but predictable. Thankfully, the acceptable acting quality and originality makes this movie much more than merely a film about drugs. It is about first-love, freedom, growing up, the nature of betrayal and high school politics. I recommend this film to independent film lovers all around the world and all Canadians.

Here we have another coming-of-age comedy, featuring a mostly unknown cast that does, nevertheless, deliver.

The story centers around a recently-turned-18 Quinn (Steven Yaffee), who belongs to an uncommon family of anti-establishment cannabis-growers - the Dawsons. His parents (Wallace Langham and Rosanna Arquette) are seemingly very astute, and his younger sister Hope (Katie Boland) is the local drug-peddler.

At the start of the movie we see a tired Quinn, home-schooled his whole life, who wants a normal teenage experience, as he keeps observing from the come-and-go of students of the local high school. To top things off, an incredibly attractive young girl moves next door (Rachel Blanchard) - this boosts his desire to leave the shielded home environment.

Growing Op has a few flaws, but these don't deter from a fluid viewing experience. Of course, if you decide to watch a film like this, you tend to already know what it's about - cannabis, high school, and the rest.

To the flaws: certainly Blanchard is a mediocre actor, at best, but then again, her good looks tend to excuse focus on her actual ability. It is certainly understandable her choice as the girl-next-door, as she's stunning. Then there's also a few cheesy moments, but these are really not that many.

The good stuff: the film is funny, has some of the most original lines (Quinn's father does an impressive job with his role, being the most solid actor in the pack) spoken by any suburban father or mother I've ever seen (especially young sister!) The kid Quinn is fine as the lead, portraying an odd misplaced youth well enough. His sister is a funny, off-the-rocker type, and her role is well acted.

The story itself has some unexpected twists, and the high school crowd is well depicted and represented.

Frankly, a movie that could have been much worse, left me pleasantly surprised. 7/10.

Quinn (Steven Yaffee) is an awkward teen with no friends. It doesn't help that his parents (Wallace Langham, Rosanna Arquette) are hippies secretly growing illegal weed at home and they don't allow him to attend school. Hope (Katie Boland) is his punk drug-selling little sister. He's taken with beautiful new girl Crystal Connor (Rachel Blanchard) moving in across the street. Suddenly, he has a real need to go to class. His love for Crystal makes him the prime bullying target for class president hunk Philip and his popular group.

That was some twist. I am not a fan. It turns a fun little teen comedy into a heavy drama. I do like most of the movie. The sharp turn totally threw me. It's definitely a surprise although I assumed the ending to be her accidentally letting out the secret and the family has to go on the run. The point is to keep it light and prison time is not light. I still like the movie and the characters.