Grow Your Own Review

"Grow Your Own" is a feelgood British comedy-drama in the tradition of "The Full Monty" or "Brassed Off", centring on various characters who are brought together by the Blacktree Road Allotments. Benedict Wong stars as Chinese refugee Kung Sang, a single father who has become mute since losing his wife. His two young children, Phoenix and Dragon (Sophie Lee and Jeffrey Li) take him to get psychiatric help and are surprised when, instead of prescribing pills, the psychotherapist (Sophie Stanton) takes them to the Blacktree Road Allotments, along with other refugee families. The long-term plot-holders initially view them with suspicion, egged on by the officious Big John (Philip Jackson), but when a mobile company reveals plans to demolish one of the plots to make way for a phone mast, they begin to realise the importance of community.

There are several involving sub-plots, most notably Kung Sang gradually coming out of his shell and Little John's (Eddie Marsan) unsuccessful attempts to attract Miriam (Diveen Henry). However, the large number of characters means that some of the plots feel frustratingly underdeveloped at times.

The ensemble cast are extremely good, particularly Wong, Alan Williams (as Kenny, who gradually befriends Kung Sang) and the ubiquitous Eddie Marsan. There's also strong support from Omid Djalili (as Ali, who uses his shed as an unofficial doctor's surgery) and Olivia Colman as Alice, who harbours a secret crush on Little John.

Ultimately, "Grow Your Own" is pretty predictable but its rough-edged approach to the story means that some of the emotional impact is lost. That said, it's still an enjoyable British drama, even if it never quite blossoms into the film that it could have been.