In an average American neighborhood, a family of four breaks all conformity making it difficult for their 18 year old son to fit in to society.In an average American neighborhood, a family of four breaks all conformity making it difficult for their 18 year old son to fit in to society.In an average American neighborhood, a family of four breaks all conformity making it difficult for their 18 year old son to fit in to society.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 1 nomination
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMost of the Marijuana Plants inside the house are fake. They came in large boxes, all completely disassembled. The crew did not have enough time to put them all together, so one of the crew members took the pieces to a retirement home where the seniors happily spent the time putting together the plants.
- GoofsAt 56 minutes in Crystal's mom puts down a bowl that was supposed to be empty, as she reaches for another one it is clear the previous one was still full of dessert.
- Quotes
Bryce Dawson: Well, you look like big girls! Can't you read my sign?
[Referring to the one on the front door]
Sprite #1: 'Welcome.'
Bryce Dawson: Well, thanks! But we're not interested.
Sprite #1: But everyone else on the street is buying them! It's for a good cause.
Bryce Dawson: Oh, so you're selling conformity, along with toxic sugar treats. Well, did you know that Wood Sprites can trace back their insidious origins back to Lord Baden Powell, who was not only a neo-Fascist, but was also an infamous advocate of apartheid?
Sprite #1: [Befuddled] What?
Bryce Dawson: [Waving cynically at the mother] Yeah, ask your mom. And tell her you just have to peddle your little boxes of bigotry... elsewhere. Nighty night!
Sprite #1: [Turns away crying] Mom, what's apartheid?
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.
- tha_mongoose
- Feb 18, 2009
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Details
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1