Pumpkin (film)
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| Pumpkin | |
|---|---|
| Image:Pumpkinfilm.jpg Pumpkin | |
| Directed by | Anthony Abrams Adam Larson Broder |
| Produced by | Linda Reisman Karen Barber Christina Ricci Albert Berger |
| Written by | Adam Larson Broder |
| Starring | Christina Ricci Hank Harris |
| Music by | John Ottman |
| Cinematography | Tim Suhrstedt |
| Editing by | Richard Halsey Sloane Klevin |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) | January 14, 2002 |
| Running time | 113 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Pumpkin is a 2002 film starring Christina Ricci and Dominique Swain. It's a dark comedy and story of forbidden love between a handicapped man (Hank Harris) and a sorority woman.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Charity
Carolyn McDuffy, in an effort to help her sorority sisters win a coveted award that has eluded them in the past years, joins them in an effort to train some handicapped young adults for Special Olympics. Carolyn is linked with Pumpkin Romanoff and is horrified, mostly because she has never been in such an environment. Pumpkin is kind towards her and soon, she finds herself falling in love with him because he is genuine, unlike her sorority sisters and her boyfriend.
[edit] Pumpkin and Carolyn
Everyone involved hates the idea of Carolyn being in love with this "retard", including Pumpkin's own mother, despite the fact that Carolyn's love has inspired Pumpkin to get out of his wheelchair and become the best athlete on the team. In one of the climatic scenes, Pumpkin's mother walked into her son's room and discovers that Carolyn and Pumpkin have consummated their love. Pumpkin's mother accuses her of raping her son and says he has no idea what she has done to him. She calls Carolyn's school and Carolyn is kicked out of school and the sorority.
[edit] Back In The Fold
Strings are pulled since Kent and Carolyn are the perfect couple and would insure the sorority winning the award, and Carolyn is let back into school, the sorority, and her boyfriend Kent takes her back. It all comes to the climax at the sorority's ball, where Pumpkin and his friends crash the party so Pumpkin can dance with the woman he loves. Kent won't stand for it, being that he is a tennis jock being dumped for a "retard". He punches Pumpkin repeatedly as the girls are holding Carolyn and keeping Pumpkin's friends at bay. He turns his back as Pumpkin gathers his wits. Pumpkin charges Kent, bearhugs him, and drops him, knocking him out for a few seconds, leaving everyone stunned, including Pumpkin. He gets up, looks around and runs off crying. Carolyn tries to take Pumpkin inside to the dance, but the sorority sisters won't let them in. Carolyn pushes her way through with Pumpkin and they dance alone. Soon, others start to see the love between them and join them on the dance floor. As they're dancing, Kent is shown driving erratically and sobbing hysterically. He swerves to avoid a truck and plunges off the cliff. The car explodes (in midair) and crashes to the bottom of the cliff. Carolyn goes to the hospital to check on Kent and he is paraplegic, though otherwise seemingly unburnt from the explosion. He blames Carolyn for his problems and she is left distraught. She quits school, the sorority, and swears off Pumpkin forever. The sorority stops helping the team and the rival sorority wins the award.
[edit] The Race
Carolyn is at a public university and opens up to them. They encourage her to go for what she wants. The sorority sisters have a change of heart and show up at the Olympic event. Kent is now the coach for the Pumpkin's team and has become a motivator and humble person. The race is down to Pumpkin and his rival, a big bully who berates Pumpkin at every chance given. Pumpkin is motivated by Kent, telling him to win it for Carolyn and saying she wouldn't want him to lose. As he's running, he sees Carolyn in the stands and gets a sudden boost of energy. Pumpkin wins the race and at the finish line, he is congratulated by the sorority sisters, his mother and Kent. Carolyn comes down to see Pumpkin as Pumpkin's mother is hugging him. See endears him to Carolyn, finally accepting her son's progress into a man. Carolyn and Pumpkin walk off together. She asks him if she should keep calling him Pumpkin and he says yes. She then asked him a question about the moon and if he meant something he said literally or metaphorically, to which Pumpkin answered, "What?" Carolyn turns around and looks for a second and then walks with Pumpkin.
[edit] 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
- Harry J. 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 Parker - Courtney Burke
- Tait Smith - Hansie Prinsinger
- Michael Bacall - Casey Whitner

