Pumpkin
by Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Brenda Blethyn, Christina Ricci, Dominique Swain, Hank Harris, Marisa CoughlanDirector: Adam Larson Broder, Anthony Abrams
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 117 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-11-05
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Pumpkin
Movie Review: Hmm.
Summary: 3 Stars
I really wanted to like it. In fact, I was smitten with the character of Pumpkin, and his scenes with Brenda Blethyn and even Christina Ricci.
Unfortunately, I was completely underwhelmed by Ricci's performance. I love looking at her. Her features are eerily romantic and ethereal. But like many other actresses these days, her acting ability isn't be improved by her appearance. I'm reminded of Keanu Reeves, or Keira Knightley. I watch them, I tolerate them, but I am incapable of taking them seriously. I find that when they start talking, and are trying to invoke an emotion, they just take me right out of the moment, and I suddenly just don't believe in things.
Yes, parts of the movie were intentionally campy, which was fun, and Ricci can get away with her lackluster performance by overdoing it and batting those huge eyes of hers. But when the movie then plunges erratically into the dramatic, I find I only believe Pumpkin, who seems not to be retarded, but to have some sort of palsy.
I also disliked the fact that they OBVIOUSLY didn't cast any actually disabled people, only actors who seemed to have an awesome time imitating mental disability. Two of them I think were in the Mighty Ducks.
And that ending, with Ricci looking back at the camera in some ort of attempt at a post-modern end note, a la Orlando or Secretary. I get it! She's wiser. But unlike Orlando or Secretary, I have no idea how the Ricci's character learned the things she learned. She just seemed to believe one thing and then change all of a sudden.
I feel that the movie was badly edited, heavy handed and unfocused. In other words: long, patronizing and confusing. But kind of fun, I guess. I think it's worth it to watch Pumpkin and his mother.
Summary of Pumpkin
Silly, sweet, farcical and subversive, Pumpkin pushes the boundaries of teen melodrama to anabsurd pitch, resulting in a film that is bracing, hilariously funny, and quite often, and in unexpected ways, touching (A.O. Scott, The New York Times)! Sexy Carolyn McDuffy (Christina Ricci) has a perfect lifea good family, a top sorority and a hot boyfrienduntil she meets the not-so-perfect Pumpkin, (Hank Harris), a challenged discus thrower who touches her soul and turns her life upside down. Suddenly smitten, Carolyn finds herself embroiled in a culture clash that will make you laugh with humor, with recognition and with disbelief (Roger Ebert) as you follow her hysterical journey from popular insider'to ostracized outcast!Pumpkin scores bonus points for risk-taking satire, but it's the right movie made by the wrong people. Despite an able assist from star and coproducer Christina Ricci, first-time codirectors (and USC film-school graduates) Anthony Abrams and Adam Larson Broder lack the delicate touch required to pull off a comedic romance between an idealistic sorority girl (Ricci) and the semi-retarded, physically challenged boy nicknamed Pumpkin (Hank Harris) whom she's paired with as part of her sorority's image-boosting charity campaign. The movie boldly addresses the taboos and condescension typically applied toward the disabled in movies and hits its satirical targets (social elitism, campus hypocrisy) while undermining the "Jerry's Kids" stereotype of so-called "special" people. It's a valiant effort, but the strengths of Pumpkin are overwhelmed by its ineptitude, with poor character development, choppy plotting, and rampant inconsistencies. Its many flaws aside, Pumpkin deserves credit for trying something new, difficult, and altogether challenging. --Jeff Shannon
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