Pumpkin (2002)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Directors:

Anthony Abrams
Adam Larson Broder

Writer (WGA):

Adam Larson Broder (written by)

Release Date:

12 March 2004 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

A comedy for the romantically challenged.

Plot:

A sorority girl is drawn to a disabled man.

Plot Keywords:

Filipino American | Pumpkin | Restaurant | Bathroom | Whitney Houston

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Christina Ricci	...	Carolyn McDuffy
Hank Harris	...	Pumpkin Romanoff
Brenda Blethyn	...	Judy Romanoff
Dominique Swain	...	Jeanine Kryszinsky
Marisa Coughlan	...	Julie Thurber
Samuel Ball	...	Kent Woodlands (as Sam Ball)
Harry Lennix	...	Robert Meary (Poetry teacher)
Nina Foch	...	Betsy Collander
Caroline Aaron	...	Claudia Prinsinger
Lisa Banes	...	Chippy McDuffy
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Dr. Frederico Cruz
Phil Reeves	...	Burt Wohlfert
Marisa Petroro	...	Courtney Burke (as Marisa Parker)
Tait Smith	...	Hansie Prinsinger
Michael Bacall	...	Casey Whitner

MPAA:

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Canada:14A | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Azusa, California, USA

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

The shot of Kent's car flying off the cliff and exploding is actually taken from Hudson Hawk (1991) - you can even see the dummy, that represented the bad guy, on the hood.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Carolyn's poetry teacher writes his name on the board the first day of class (prior to instructing the students to turn their desks in a large circle facing one another) as he puts the chalk down on the ledge a horizontal line is formed near his name that is clearly visible. When the camera switches frames to the class and then back to the teacher the line has apparently been erased and is very hard to see where it was once prominent.

Quotes:

Carolyn McDuffy: I'm feeling pain, Pumpkin, for the first time in my life. And now I know how it feels. It feels like everything inside me is shattered, like a broken mirror.

Movie Connections:

References Huitième jour, Le (1996)

Soundtrack:

Falling from Grace

Mostly believable drama...

1st watched 11/24/2005 - 7 out of 10(Dir-Adam Larson Broder & Tony R. Abrams): Mostly believable drama about a sorority girl(played by Christina Ricci) who goes out of her way to give special attention to a challenged(aka. mentally retarded) young man, falls in love with him and then faces the wrath of society for doing so. Ricci is wonderful as the confused girl who's been brought up thinking everything in life is wonderful until she meets Pumpkin, who's life is not altogether wonderful and she actually begins to feel the pain in her own life and the the pain that he's feeling. This movie starts out looking like a very corny comedy, but abruptly takes a serious note when Pumpkin, played by Hank Harris, comes onto the scene. The movie fights hard not to be too melodramatic and for the most part succeeds. Ricci's character, Carolyn, immediately starts having a dramatic effect on Pumpkin's social and physical abilities as he improves everyday in her presence and this is seen by those around her and jealousy and curiosity ensues. She begins to care for Pumpkin in a deep way and doesn't know how to handle this so, of course, she sees a shrink. He's not much help though and she's left to figure this all out by herself. The only annoying thing about this movie is it's many emotional twists&turns in direction, mainly coming from Carolyn's twists and turns in her own thinking, but this is bearable because of Ricci's appeal and the understanding that this character is being put through the wringer with her own emotions mainly because of her confused up-bringing and the reaction from people around her. A nice suttle tweak at the end gives us the impression that her confusion will continue, even though the viewers get to have their wanted happy ending. All in all, the weakness in this movie comes from the direction(being done by two individuals, maybe this was part of the problem) but the players, especially Ricci & Harris, rise above it to make a meaningful drama about societies confusion towards the challenged individual and the rift that is there between them and the rest of society.