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Parents' Guide to

Pumpkin

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Black comedy about disability full of profanity, sex.

Movie R 2002 113 minutes
Pumpkin Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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Is It Any Good?

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Kids say (1 ):

PUMPKIN has its heart in the right place. It's a dark comedy about falling in love that aims to show that not only can love be found in the unlikeliest of places but also that seeking perfection is a fool's errand. But it's also a hornet's nest of political incorrectness, with jokes about "retards," ethnic slurs, gender-based taunts, and a lack of subtlety that renders it more cautionary tale than uplifting romance.

There are some good ideas here, about finding love in unexpected places, challenging our misconceptions, what acceptance really means, and how we think and talk about and regard people who are different in any way -- whether because of skin color, abilities, weight, or appearance. The problem is, it's presented with all the subtlety of a bullhorn, aiming more for shock value than thoughtful unpacking. Some of the performances are admirable, but, overall, there are too many stretches of the imagination to give this a stamp of high-mindedness, not least of which is presenting someone who's differently abled as being capable of simply and suddenly reversing near paralysis because of a pretty face.

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