Grow Your Own

Rating:

* *

Verdict:

Potentially charming green-thumbed Brit comedy wilts

If you have a passion for gardening then this English comedy about a community allotment in the North of England might have you rethinking how you grow your strawberries, and the state of your shed.

Set against one tumultuous year at the Blacktree Road allotment, it's a sweet story with a nostalgic feel about an eclectic and grumpy mix of people who spend all their spare time at their plots, treating it as a sanctuary from the real world. Only the real world keeps imposing itself on this nice quiet community, and when a group of refugees are given allotments by a local psychotherapist, the long-termers are not too happy about the suspicious new arrivals.

The allotment is run by ex-cop Big John (Philip Jackson). Threatened by the new arrivals, he encourages the other gardeners to enforce the draconian rules set out in the allotment constitution, so  if newcomers accidentally break the rules they can be booted out. But that starts a chain of events that ultimately sees all the gardeners fighting for  their plot and their individuality.

Grow Your Own

is a gentle film about diversity and integration but only really scratches the surface of this social tension. It's an amusing mix of characters but they fit too easily into recognisable cliches. While there are some heartfelt and very funny moments, the narrative is simple and the story feels undeveloped and predictable.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast:

Starring Eddie Marsan, Olivia Colman, Benedict Wong

Director:

Richard Laxton

Running Time:

100 mins

Rating:

PG (Coarse Language)

Screening:

Rialto, Bridgeway Cinemas