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PG | 1h 47m | Children, Drama | 2025
Every self-respecting pumpkin farmer knows, despite spirited challenges from towns in California and Texas, that Morton, Illinois, is still the pumpkin capital of the world. But don’t go telling that to farmers in China, who produce the most pumpkins; or to farmers in Germany, who host the largest pumpkin exhibition; or to farmers in the British village of Mugford, who, for all their ambitions for large pumpkins, carry the surname Little. To them, the protagonists in this children’s film, even little things can make a big difference.
Down-on-her-luck Mugford farmer Dinah Little (Golda Rosheuvel) ends up caring for her little niece Charlotte “Charlie” (Priya-Rose Brookwell) who was abandoned by her mother, Polly (Kathryn Drysdale), when she was littler still. Charlie, still in primary school, believes that Polly is a hardworking, sought-after actress in L.A. who was forced to leave her behind.
Dinah and her local gardening wizard Arlo (Nick Frost) discover Charlie’s gift for sensing what plants, vegetables, and fruits feel. They figure that her wizardry and some nifty teamwork will help them to grow a heavyweight pumpkin. They start. Charlie names it “Peter.” But why grow a car-sized pumpkin?
The Grand Mugford Pumpkinfest is half a year away, but to Mugforders who think of nothing but pumpkins, there are “only” 188 days left for their main event. That’s when they award 100,000 pounds ($134,000) to the farmer who grows the heaviest (not largest) pumpkin over a ton.
Unsurprisingly, techno-supremacist farmers like Don Gregory (Jeremy Swift) and aristocratic ones like Lord and Lady Smythe-Gherkin (Tim McInnerny and Jane Horrocks) are also contestants. Gregory’s company, Gargana Laboratories, uses bioengineering and artificial sunlight to grow oversized pumpkins. And the Smythe-Gherkins leverage their lavish estate to lord it over their competitors.
Though she’s distant at first, Dinah grows to love little Charlie and plans to adopt her. But Charlie’s hoping that the prize money will bankroll her travel to L.A. and reunite her with Polly. Yet the prize seems increasingly elusive.
Gregory and the Smythe-Gherkins don’t mind playing dirty. Then, Charlie’s schoolmate Oliver (Dominic McLaughlin) decides to help her. But there’s a problem; he’s Gregory’s son. Oh, and the Smythe-Gherkins have won every year for the last 50 years, give or take. The Littles need a little more than wizardry to win.
On wizardry, director John McPhail and team bring a little of their own here. Screenwriters Nick Guthe, Christos and Ruth Fletcher Gage, editor David Arthur, and cinematographer George Geddes expertly shape how the cast members move through the Scottish countryside and Jamie Lapsley’s production design.
As if that weren’t enough, “Grow” is a chance for children to see on-screen some actors newly cast in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter show: McLaughlin is the new Harry, and Frost is Hagrid.
Composer-songwriters Tommy Reilly and Roddy Hart deliver a lively, sensitive score, accentuating what’s growing: That’s not just Peter but also the bond between Dinah and Charlie.
Growing Big, Growing Up
“Grow” is an entertainer rather than a message film, but many parents will be delighted that the filmmakers slipped in some welcome pointers for children.
Organic production of fruits and vegetables beats chemical-based production because it’s healthier for the soil, for plants, and for people. Weed killers end up killing a little more than the weeds. Sure, the sun is vital for all life, but not too much of it. It’s why sunset follows sunrise, and why seasons take turns hiding the sun. Gregory, harnessing artificial sunlight on-tap, misses the point. His bioengineering perverts rather than perfects natural rhythms.
Overwhelmed, Charlie frets about her competitors and their never-ending tricks and tech. That’s when Oliver firmly explains that if she worries too much about what her competitors are up to, how will she accomplish anything herself?
Most of the adults dismiss the very thought that a slip of a girl might have a gift that they don’t. But when Charlie broods that Peter isn’t big enough, Dinah reassures her that it’s substance (weight, in contest nomenclature) that counts, not size. Hinting at Charlie’s own deceptive littleness, she says it’s not what’s outside but what’s inside that “makes a champion.”
The sisters see motherhood differently. Polly sees it as a given. After all, she’s the one who got pregnant with Charlie, endured childbirth, and raised her for a while. Although not a mother herself, as an aspiring foster-mother Dinah sees motherhood simply as love; it’s a habit cultivated and worked at.
Love is a promise that can’t, and shouldn’t, be broken. Charlie learns the hard way about “being there,” which means to nurture her pumpkin every day. Both women in Charlie’s life have grown big since they were little like her, but only one has grown up.
You can watch “Grow” nationwide Oct. 17-23.
‘Grow’
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Priya-Rose Brookwell, Golda Rosheuvel
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes
Release Date: Oct. 17, 2025
Rated: 3 stars out of 5
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