Growing Op

Just saw it. An excellent movie. Original idea, good play, good scenes. I don't smoke weed , but here they made us to see how is not only people's life, but and life of the grass. They show how stupid are those who just smoke it, without any idea about. And the end of the movie - brilliant! I didn't wait it'g gonna over like this, not only happy end, or tragic. I had no idea what to think. I't beautiful, happy, sad. I loved this. My mark - 10+... P.S. I enjoyed more that there was no stupid thing of making film, where producers make movie worst. Like all team was one man, was thinking about one thing only, doing it how they can, but trying to do it well...

Im not usually a fan of weed films or romantic comedies, but I watched this with a lot of enjoyment the other night. The acting from most of the actors was very good, and the chemistry between the cast as well. Quinn and his father were both superb. Some parts were really laugh out loud funny. Enjoyed the plot twist towards the end, took me completely by surprise. Life in Canadian high-school seems to be depicted pretty accurately. Made me appreciate what I have and see the blessing of not being a little tiny gear in the impersonal system like 99% of other Canadians my age. Will look up the writer / director to try and see more of his work.

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.

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.

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.