Synopsis
Calvin Campbell is a former professional baseball player sent to an early retirement due to his panic attacks at the plate. Even though he had all the talent for the big leagues, he struggles with the curveballs life has thrown him. Today, he mindlessly sleepwalks through his days and the challenge of raising his teenager daughter. His life is in a slow downward spiral when it is suddenly awakened and invigorated by the most unlikely person – Produce, a young-man with Down syndrome who works at the local grocery store.
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Cast
- Danica McKellarSusan Malcolm
- William ZabkaMilton Malcolm
- Kerr SmithMitch Minniear
- McKaley MillerKatie Campbell
- Kristoffer PolahaCalvin Campbell
- Brooke BurnsAmy Boone
- David DeSanctisProduce
- Michael GrantColt
- Clyde JonesDexter
- Alan PowellFranklin
Recommendations
- 60
The Hollywood Reporter
An affecting drama marked by solid performances and a refreshing restraint in the way it delivers its religious message. - 60
Variety
Neatly avoiding temptations toward mawkish excess, writer-director Chris Dowling hits a solid double with Where Hope Grows, his intelligently affecting faith-based drama. - 50
Village Voice
Writer-director Chris Dowling handles that worrisome premise with a more even hand than this genre's ill-advised predecessors. - 50
Los Angeles Times
A melodramatic third act strains to reconcile the film's disparate parts, and the feel-good ending is not quite earned. Still, the film offers a few lessons for those inclined to hear them. - 40
The New York Times
Once the proselytizing takes over, so does the predictability. - 38
Movie Nation
It works, here and there, and Polaha is perfectly believable as an ex-jock and ex-jerk who lets a little child lead him out of the darkness. - 37
Washington Post
The Christian-themed Where Hope Grows wears its heart on its sleeve, hawking its message of salvation through faith to anyone who’s in the market for cheesy uplift and saccharine sentiment. It’s a soft sell, to be sure, but it’s salesmanship all the same. - 30
Austin Chronicle
Chris Dowling’s second feature at first seems anodyne enough, but once the plot mechanics kick into high gear, the film becomes as unsurprising as a prix fixe menu.
