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.

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.

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.

My wife and tenant love to torture me with main stream movies...this was such a refreshing break!

You could really care for the characters and the plot flowed along really well.

I think I only realized it was Canadian made when the court scene happened...why can't Canadian productions make better court rooms? lol

I would recommend this to anyone, especially stoners.

A great film you can really get in to.

I am going to look for more films by the same people, I thought it was really well written.

If anyone knows more films by the same people, please post!

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.