Pumpkin (2002)

Wow! Such a good movie.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I can't say why this hasn't become a cult classic, as it's such a rich and wonderful satirical story with silliness and heart and real humanity.Christina Ricci shines brightly in this film, true to her character from beginning to end. Even as a woman, I had to appreciate the obvious display of her naturally full chest as a second character, from the slow-mo running sequence to the particularly cold room of her distracted singing. Melissa McCarthy is brilliant in this, showing her natural talent as an actress, and the fabulous Amy Adams! I think she has 2 lines in this, yet you do remember her. Well crafted and so, so funny! A quirky oddball of a comedy, but boy do I wish they made more films like it today.

Satires are not always comedies, just like comedies are not always satires. Examples: "Robocop", "District 9", "Starship Troopers", "Stepford Wives" ...these are all brilliant satires; yet they are not comedies.I think it's misleading for Pumpkin to be advertised as a comedy. Sure, it's packed full of subtle humour, but like the films I mentioned above, its intent is probably not to make us laugh out loud. Its intent is to give us an offbeat look at society without taking itself too seriously. So if you go into this film expecting something "HYSTERICALLY FUNNY" (says the Washington Post), you might be disappointed.Another caveat: this film is not about disabled people--not like, say, "Shine" or "My Left Foot". True, the plot is about a sorority girl who gets into an "inappropriate" relationship with a mentally challenged boy, but that's just a metaphor for what the film is really hitting us with. The film simply uses this metaphor to illustrate the screwed-up norms of human society. Pay attention early on to the speech Christina Ricci gives about how sororities & fraternities end up dividing us, labeling us and creating differences where none really exist. I believe that encapsulates what this film is trying to tell us about our world, and you'll realize it's a lot more than just a romantic comedy.In order to fully appreciate this film, you CANNOT take anything at face value. Everything ...even the wooden acting or the melodramatic pill scene or the exploding car (lol)... is designed to be over-the-top, showing us a bizarre world and giving a little wink to the audience. Almost every scene will have you wondering if the filmmakers were being ironic, and that's the beauty of unravelling a film such as this. It's very subtle but well executed, almost like Hitchcock's brand of humour in Strangers on a Train which, similarly, pokes fun at the veneer of polite society hiding the screwed-uppedness beneath (in fact, "Pumpkin" has a tennis scene that's reminiscent of the tennis scene in the "Strangers").I'm not sure if everyone will like Pumpkin but I sure did. If you're a fan of the 4 satires I mentioned in my 1st paragraph, I think you'll like it. If so, I highly recommend the Mexican film "Casi Divas" (2008) about a cut-throat talent competition, and the Spanish movie "El Crimen Ferpecto" (2004) about a man trapped in a department store overnight. Along with "Pumpkin", these are light-hearted gems that make us think hard about the human condition. Oh don't forget "Heathers" (1988) which fits right in with the bunch, though a bit on the darker side.

This movie is fantastic, although you probably have to have a certain comic sensibility to appreciate it. The best parts of this movie are so subtle that you might miss them the first time around. The director certainly doesn't hold your hand.The soundtrack in particular was amazing. The montage set against Belle & Sebastian's "Stars of Track and Field" is one of the better uses of song in a movie I've encountered.I rarely come across comedies that demonstrate any originality. It's mostly formulaic junk. Pumpkin is a beautiful, hilarious, and has a great deal of thematic and character depth.

I have mixed feelings for this movie. I don't know, this movie is: weird, funny, interesting, sad, it has a criticism for society and people in general, etc. The movie isn't all about the Pumpkin character; it focuses on the selfish Caroline and how she believes the world is at her feet. She has the perfect life: friends, money, a family, beauty, she's popular, she has a handsome boyfriend, etc. She's perfect. But her perfect life makes her imperfect. I mean, she believes she can change things in other people's life just because "it's her". At some point in the movie she believe she's Cupid , then she believes she can understand REAL pain (not her kind of pain which consists of not getting what she wants in life), and also she believes Pumpkin is suffering a lot while he is happy even with his condition. But the then movie takes a twist and demonstrates how Caroline has changed and finally has understood about people's feelings. Tragic events were necessary for her to become mature. But also, people had to experience terrible situations in order for her to be finally on her two feet (Kent's accident, having sex with Pumpkin, etc.).Her true feelings are really weird... at first she has repulsion for Pumpkin, but then she has symphaty for them which she confuses with compassion. Then she falls in love with him and finally, she has sex with him. What was that all about? I mean, I understand she was confused but changing drastically your feelings and preferences is not normal...something that leads me to believe that she had some kind of sickness that consists of being attracted physically and emotionally for people with special capacities (such as Pumpkin).So in the ending the things get more confusing... she still gets what she wants at other people's cost. Now Kent is invalid, Pumpkin is depressed because of her absence, the sorority house bitches lost their competition, etc. So maybe I didn't get the whole point of the move but that's what it makes it a great viewing experience. The movie throws you many situations for you to make your own conclusion. It also displays some socially incorrect behaviors and also shows displays of humanity and kindness. At some points I thought this was cheap exploitation and mockery for people like Pumpkin. Then I changed my mind and thought this was a dark comedy for teens. Then I believed it was a movie to display how disturbed a rich girl can be... The truth is that I enjoyed the whole movie and after it's ending, I came to the conclusion that you just have to make your interpretation of the movie. So I can say that "Pumpkin" is a movie that makes a critic against society and how it treats people like Pumpkin, but also demonstrates how this people are happy even with their situation. Also I came up with the conclusion that the movie tries to exploit the Caroline character. It's all about her and her development. Which I believe it's a very interesting, dark character.Christina Ricci's performance is simply great, she's at her best in this one. She can be tender, naive, bitchy, but also can demonstrate she is in pain, or that she can be blinded by love or confusion. Pumpkin was a great character and the actor who portrayed him was also at his best. The rest of the cast is okay. The direction is simple but fast paced. Pumpkin is a visually stunning and attractive movie. The soundtrack is perfect for the events. You can't get a better soundtrack in my opinion. The technical aspects of the movie should be treated apart as this movie focuses on the plot development instead.