GROW: Movie Review & Giveaway

Watch this fun fall film with friends and family. Buy tickets today to see GROW in theaters starting October 17!

Overview

GROW is a 2025 family comedy movie directed by John McPhail, a Scottish film director and horror movie fan, who wanted to make a kids movie that wouldn’t insult the intelligence of adults. It stars rising young actress Priya-Rose Brookwell as Charlie Little. From curmudgeonly farmers to over-the-top rivals, the colorful cast of characters includes many famous British actors such as: Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Jeremy Swift (Downton Abbey), Tim McInnerny (Blackadder), and comedian Joe Wilkinson. Also in this movie, Charlie befriends a nice boy named Oliver, played by Dominic McLaughlin, who also plays Harry Potter in the upcoming TV show. GROW is a Sky Original film, rated PG, 1h 47m. It was filmed in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Synopsis

In the Pumpkin Capital of the World, stoic farmer Dinah Little (Golda Rosheuvel) begrudgingly takes in her spirited niece, Charlie (Priya-Rose Brookwell). But Charlie isn’t an ordinary child—she has a special knack for connecting with plants that quietly reflects her own longing to feel just as loved. As the town prepares for the annual pumpkin-growing contest, Charlie sets her sights on winning. With the help of quirky Arlo (Nick Frost), plot and pumpkins thicken as rival growers pull every trick in the book. Will Charlie and Dinah’s unlikely entry stand tall against the fiercest competition the town has ever seen? As her pumpkin grows, so does her bond with Dinah, and together they learn that the real prize is joy, laughter, and family.

Review

GROW is a heartwarming film with a storyline like a fairy tale, and comedic qualities that will appeal to adults as well as children. Just so you know, while GROW focuses on family-friendly themes and does not contain any swear words or suggestive innuendos, it does contain fertilizer-based potty humor, and some scary content that is not suitable for younger children. More about that later…

Charlie is a headstrong, rebellious girl who lives in an orphanage after her mother apparently abandoned her to seek fame and fortune in Hollywood. Tired of chasing after the girl every time she runs away, the headmistress of the Oakbrook Children’s Home has finally managed to track down Charlie’s aunt, a no-nonsense struggling farmer who takes her precocious niece to live with her and her dog Toby on the Little Farm, family-owned since 1958.

GROW takes place in the fictional town of Mugford, UK – a small village of quirky characters obsessed with their annual pumpkin contest. The eccentric citizens include a local “mad scientist” named Mr. Gregory who runs a fertilizer factory, and who is cultivating a lab-grown bioengineered monster pumpkin. The most unlikable residents are a snooty couple, Lord and Lady Smythe-Gherkin, who have managed to win the pumpkin growing contest every year except once.

Then along comes Charlie, who decides to try winning the cash prize at this year’s contest for the heaviest pumpkin. If anyone in your household likes pumpkins, they will enjoy seeing all of the larger-than-life pumpkins in this movie! The pumpkin that we proudly grew in our yard this year is tiny compared to these gigantic ones!

Charlie has a “green thumb,” a gift for nurturing plants. It’s like she can feel what they’re feeling. She helps them live better lives by taking a personal interest in them, talking to them, and playing music for them. She even names her pumpkin “Peter.” Charlie’s love of plants will inspire kids—and kids at heart—to dance around their plants! I especially like the part where the farm finally decides to go organic, after Charlie helps them realize that the crops weren’t thriving with the weed killer they were using.

At the heart of GROW is the touching bond that grows between Charlie and her Aunt Dinah as their uneasiness with each other turns to closeness and love, which gives the film an emotional depth that you don’t always see in whimsical family comedies like this. Nevertheless, the relationships in this movie are all a bit odd. I don’t think there’s a traditional family in the whole thing!

Another thing that I found surprising for a family film is the all-out “vegetable warfare” that takes place in the days leading up to the pumpkin contest – spying on neighbors, sabotage, and outright cheating. At the beginning of the movie, Charlie herself shoplifts a packet of pumpkin seeds from the local grocer. So this movie brings up a lot of moral lessons to discuss with children. (This is NOT in any way a faith-based film.)

About one hour into GROW, the movie takes a dark turn as we see a shadowy figure with a knife sneaking around and “murdering” people’s pumpkins. The first time this happens is quite shocking, and reminiscent of the PSYCHO shower scene. Also, in a nod to THE GODFATHER, a gruesomely stabbed pumpkin ends up in the owner’s bed! The trick-or-treating part isn’t frightening at all compared to those scenes! The worst that happens on Halloween night is toilet-papering the statue in the town square. No haunted houses in this movie either!

GROW is a cute movie with a unique theme. Even though it’s a family film, parental discretion is advised. It’s best for older children, teens and adults. The fall setting and autumn colors will get you in the mood for Halloween. The down-to-earth themes are reflective of the harvest season. The agricultural and environmental focus provides educational value. The longer you watch, the more this movie will grow on you!

Buy tickets today to see GROW in theaters starting October 17, 2025!

Links

Movie Website

Buy Tickets

Free Downloadable Activity Book

Facebook Page

Instagram Page

Trailer

Giveaway

Leave a comment for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card! (Note: This is limited to US winners only. Please submit your full name and email address by 10/22 at 11:59pm PST. We will not be able to accept winners submitted after this date. Your email will not be published. Comments are moderated, so it may take a while for yours to post if you haven’t commented on this site before.)