I can't believe all the positive reviews for this awful movie. I suspect that most of the reviews are plants by the children of the embarrassed adults involved taking this horror of embarrassingly bad writing and phoned-in acting to market. Even the plants look artificial.Have these critics never seen a movie before? And speaking of lack of background, did the set designers do no research whatsoever about a real grow op? Nothing rang true about this movie--not the parents, not the cops, not the growing operation, not the high school...nothing. Come to think of it, maybe the other reviewers and the screenwriter are one in the same; both are totally lacking in credibility.

Here we have another coming-of-age comedy, featuring a mostly unknown cast that does, nevertheless, deliver.The story centers around a recently-turned-18 Quinn (Steven Yaffee), who belongs to an uncommon family of anti-establishment cannabis-growers - the Dawsons. His parents (Wallace Langham and Rosanna Arquette) are seemingly very astute, and his younger sister Hope (Katie Boland) is the local drug-peddler.At the start of the movie we see a tired Quinn, home-schooled his whole life, who wants a normal teenage experience, as he keeps observing from the come-and-go of students of the local high school. To top things off, an incredibly attractive young girl moves next door (Rachel Blanchard) - this boosts his desire to leave the shielded home environment.Growing Op has a few flaws, but these don't deter from a fluid viewing experience. Of course, if you decide to watch a film like this, you tend to already know what it's about - cannabis, high school, and the rest.To the flaws: certainly Blanchard is a mediocre actor, at best, but then again, her good looks tend to excuse focus on her actual ability. It is certainly understandable her choice as the girl-next-door, as she's stunning. Then there's also a few cheesy moments, but these are really not that many.The good stuff: the film is funny, has some of the most original lines (Quinn's father does an impressive job with his role, being the most solid actor in the pack) spoken by any suburban father or mother I've ever seen (especially young sister!) The kid Quinn is fine as the lead, portraying an odd misplaced youth well enough. His sister is a funny, off-the-rocker type, and her role is well acted.The story itself has some unexpected twists, and the high school crowd is well depicted and represented.Frankly, a movie that could have been much worse, left me pleasantly surprised. 7/10.

Quinn, (Steven Yaffe), a home educated teenager growing up in a family with counter culture parents who run a suburban grow-up wants to lead a normal life. He enrolls in a local high school in order to pursue the girl next door. His attempts to win the girl of his dreams run afoul the school president who sets the high school bullies on him. After enduring humiliation Quinn manages to turn the tables on his tormentors and beat the system at the same time. The funniest high school comedy since "Rock and Roll High School" Neatly reverses the usual stoner formula. Highly sympathetic and nuanced performance from Rosanna Arquette as the mother. "Growing Op" appeals to both the sixties generation and today's teen agers. Both groups see themselves in this movie. High energy, strong music score, MTV style editing and polished script and direction drive this picture along. Not to be missed.

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was excellent and I recommend everyone to see it. I hope it wins the Oscar for Best Picture, it would get my vote! GO SEE THIS MOVIE! The acting in it is incredible and the script itself is very unique. The directing is impeccable and the overall feeling was super feel good. My friend convinced me to see it with her and I do not regret it one bit. Our other friend couldn't go and she regrets it a lot. I am usually very critical of movies but this one was just so good. I hope it goes all across Canada as I do not live in Halifax, Toronto or Vancouver. I'm telling everyone I know in those cities to go see it. It is worth the 10 dollar movie ticket. I would even pay more than that to see it.