Rise of the Giant Squashes

To say I was dubious about this one is an understatement. I mean, A regatta race using giant hollowed out pumpkins as boats? Come on, now. All I could think of was the slime.  I thought this was one of those spurious Hallmark disconnects from reality that many of their movies are based on. But to my surprise, Pumpkin Regattas are a real thing! (in the far north like Oregon, Maine and Canada, far far from where I live.) They actually work as boats and are not as unstable and precarious as they look. The portrayal of the role of the giant pumpkins in the plot of this movie was actually fairly authentic. Unlike the actual squashy props. But thanks to the acting and the fall vibes, I enjoyed this movie.

Nadine is determined to bring back the Pumpkin Regatta after her recently widowed father and Andrew, his former best friend and co-founder of the regatta, cancelled it. They got into a fight when Andrew accidentally bumped George’s giant floating gourd during the race and George accused him of doing it on purpose to cheat him and win the race. Nadine is disgusted that the childish feud between her dad George and Andrew is depriving the whole community of an event that everyone looked forward to every year. And Andrew’s son, Ethan, her youthful crush, agrees with her. I was pretty disgusted as well. Grumpy old men who try to control their grown children are a pet peeve of mine in Hallmark movies. Also, George hates change and refuses to let Nadine make modern improvements to their marina boat shop. Another pet peeve. Along with their friends, Nadine and Ethan start to organize the event behind George and Andrew’s backs. And the stakes are a little higher this year because they decided to make it a fund-raising event to help the son of a public-spirited but poor single mother send her son to University. I was all for this sneaky behavior, because why should two silly old coots have all that say over whether a community event goes forward or not? Well, unfortunately, as Nadine and Andrew find out, they can’t get the permit without George’s signature, as he owns the land and marina where the festivities must take place. Ethan’s Dad is retired from the farm that grows the pumpkins. Ethan now runs it, but he and his supportive mother still try to keep him out of the loop to avoid unpleasantness. So that’s the set up. Ethan and Nadine re-ignite their romance while running around organizing everything and baking Cake Pops while keeping their leafy, crafty, pumpkin-y, apple-cidery, and fire-pit activities a secret from their fathers. Not to mention their budding relationship. Nadine hopes against hope that once her Dad is presented with a fait accompli, the community enthusiasm, and all the work she put into it, that he will sign the permit allowing the regatta to take place.

It was all pretty standard stuff for a Hallmark, but what made this movie special and enjoyable were the actors and the writing. Nadine is played by Emmy-winning Mishael Morgan who was one of the stars of last year’s  little 4 parter, Hearts Around the Table. She was very likable and very good in this. Her chemistry with Corey Sevier who played Nathan was natural and believable. Corey Sevier is one of my favorite Hallmark stars and he was great as usual. Loved the flannel and the puffy vests. The young actor who played Sam, the hopeful recipient of the college money raised by the regatta, was a cutie pie and very sweet. Ethan’s Mom was played by Paula Boudreau. She took a nothing part and made it charming and interesting. And to top it all off, a top favorite of mine, Jake Epstein, had a small part as The Mayor, who had a yen for Nadine. At the end it appears that there might be a romance on the horizon between him and Ethan’s “good friend,” Lola who fit into the plot as the owner of an apple farm. Nadine was jealous of her but also tried to push Ethan off on her. Long story.  Of course I hated the antics of the two Dads, but finally moved by some plain truth telling by their loved ones, their contrition and their apologies to each other were so sincere that I couldn’t help but like them in the end. Their reconciliation scene was well written and satisfying. As were the fathers’ make-up scenes with Nadine and Ethan. George also added to the general happy atmosphere at the end by putting Nadine in charge of his business and embracing change. And the Giant Pumpkins were so-o-o-o-o fake, but also funny, and kind of awesome. Rounding up to **8 stars**. They took a gimmicky nothing idea and made it good.