Harvest (1998)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Stuart Burkin

Writers:

Jim Biederman (writer)
Stuart Burkin (writer)

Release Date:

12 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A DEA agent and a local sheriff have to wrestle with their consciences as they start raids on local farmers...

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

James Van Der Beek	...	James Peterson
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Jake Yates
Mary McCormack	...	Becka Anslinger
Wil Horneff	...	Andy Yates
Fred Weller	...	Bucky Upton
Paula Garcés	...	Mina Fuentes
Julianne Nicholson	...	Lou Yates
Sheila Marr	...	Thelma
Lisa Emery	...	Alice Yates
John Slattery	...	Sheriff Johnson
Sharon Annett	...	Katie Barnes
Lizbeth MacKay	...	Bridget Barnes
Anthony Ruivivar	...	Roberto Fuentes
Michael P. Moran	...	Henry Upton
Kris Park	...	Phil Jones

Also Known As:

A Desperate Season (Australia) (cable TV title)
Cash Crop (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for drug content and language.

Runtime:

96 min

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Goldheart Pictures

Not a bad film at all

I got to see this film because my friend wanted to see Dawson Creek stoned. She got what she wanted, the dude was in the movie for about two scenes he was high as a kite. But the movie isn't about that and it's not a stoner comedy as the ads make it out to be. This actually turned out to be the best movie that friend rented in a while, though that's not saying much. It's a drama about small town farmers who decide to grow marijuana to survive in troubled times. The best part of the film was the storylines involving the farmers themselves and the local Sherriff and DEA agent. Those storylines are realistic and provide interesting motivations and insights about marijuana production and the role of law enforcement. These farmers are not bad people and, while they may be a little naive, they are simply trying to survive when they're only other option would be losing their farms. While the DEA agent offers by the books interpretation of what they do, the Sherriff is conflicted because he knows why they are doing it and he wonders if a big pot bust would be bad for the small town's psyche.

The film bogs down with the story of the farmer's son, an innocent and earnest Will Horneff. This isn't a pro-legalization film, if anything the Horneff character is the moral voice of the film. His character is angry about his parents growing weed not because he's afraid of their well-being with the DEA sniffing around, but because he believes it's simply a bad thing to do, even though he hangs around kids who smoke it all the time. His intolerance grows as it get's closer to home. Even though much of the film tries (and succeeds) to be even-handed about the issue, in the end it has a pretty clear anti-weed stance. All the characters who do smoke weed are jerks. The dealers are jerks, even the sexist brother of the cute candy-striper. The only characters involved with it with any redeeming value in the film are the farmers, and of course, they are just doing it to survive. This is somewhat disappointing, whether or not it was a case of the film-makers not havingenough guts to remain neutral or it was the film-makers asserting their point of view. The film is strongest when it is neutral, but the fact that in the end the film isn't neutral doesn't kill it.