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:

Arizona State University | Conformity | Taxicab | Whitney Houston | Poet

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 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | 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 Caroline runs to get Pumpkin at the beach where she left him, her hair is sticking up in the air from the wind ,then when she kneels down next to Pumpkin, her hair is perfect again.

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 The Stepford Wives (1975)

Soundtrack:

Challenged Games Fanfare

Dark Comedy--Sex, Sorority Girls and the Disabled

One of the most neglected aspects of living with a disability is addressed in this dark comedy--sexuality. Christina Ricci is not the best actress, but no one plays a frothy bitch with the same charisma, and her talents are well used.

The topic is addressed through the absurdist humor of the director; it is not overt and there are no easy cues for the audience to follow. In fact, the film pays the audience the rare compliment of expecting them to figure out the themes for themselves.

The only disappointment I had with this tale of a Sorority sister reluctantly falling in love with the disabled Pumpkin was his self administered rehabilitation. The more interesting aspects of the film would have come across much more powerfully had he remained as she met him.