Bill's Big Pumpkins
Directors: Ryan Foss & Bill Nagel
Producers: Ryan Foss & Chistopher Landergan
Starring: Bill Foss
Music: Steve Kaul
Country: USA
MPAA Rating: NR
Running time: 88 min
read my spoiler disclaimer

by Andrew James
     Sitting down for a screening about pumpkins, you might think to yourself, how interesting can this really be for an hour and half? I mean, you've seen one pumpkin you've seen 'em all right? Wrong. Ever see one that outweighs the heaviest person you know by about nine times? Didn't think so. As Paul Verhoeven would say, would you like to know more?

      Bill Foss of Minnesota has a strange passion; a passion for growing things big - specifically pumpkins. Over the course of a season, which lasts from about the end of March through the end of October, Bill allows a camera crew into his home, into his life and into his gardens to document how he is able to grow such large pumpkins. We get to follow Bill from the early planting stages to the harvesting season and all the little things in between. He shares his secrets (though not all of them I'm sure) and tricks of the trade as we see a tiny ounce of a seed turn into the most enormous of fruits you're ever likely to see.

      This documentary uses lots of neat tricks to keep the audience interested. First of all, it starts with a bang (quite literally) as we actually watch what happens at the end of a pumpkin's life using a few pounds of TNT. But of particular interest is the time-lapse photography used to demonstrate how quickly these pumpkins grow and just how big they get. At first, the pumpkins grow in size of about a pound per day. As we get closer to harvesting time, these orange behemoths grow at a fantastic rate of 35 pounds per day (or more)! With several computer controlled cameras at various heights and angles around the gardens, we're treated to watching not only the pumpkins sprout and grow, but also the 30 foot vines as they creep across the dirt and spread to cover over 15 feet in each direction. It's truly remarkable.

      Besides just watching pumpkins grow (which admittedly sounds boring, but trust me it's not), we also see the pounding they take and the turmoil they go through. From late frosts to hail damage and wind, some of our not-so-small heroes of the film unfortunately don't make it; while others pull through with only some battle scars which we get to follow and see develop and grow, along with the rest of the pumpkin, as the documentary moves along. Some of these moments are genuinely heart-breaking; both for the audience and even more so for Bill. Even though he tries to play it off with a shrug of his shoulders and "well, it happens," we can see in his face that he is bit rattled.

      So because of this, I believe more interesting than watching the pumpkins, is actually the human element. The pain staking care Bill takes of his "punkins" is fun to watch and you can see the passion in his face throughout the entire film. Whether it be waking up at dawn to cover or uncover his plants or pulling out what looks like a MacGuyver-made flame thrower for torching weeds, Bill is having a blast.

      Similar to other recent documentaries of the past few years such as Wordplay or Spellbound, Bill's Big Pumpkins isn't just about watching plants grow. This is all done for a reason. And the reason is competition. We're let in on this fact right away, so immediately we have a vested interest in the "protagonists:" Bill and his pumpkin patch. Goals are set immediately to win the State Fair competition and to break the Minnesota record for biggest/heaviest pumpkin. We do eventually get to the State Fair in St. Paul and it looks like Bill will likely take the prize, but at the last minute, some healthy competition shows up and the anticipation of the weigh-in is almost unbearable.

      Thinking that the fair was sort of the finale to the film, I was prepared to pack up and head home. But Bill had bigger plans up his sleave. We soon find that he saved his best pumpkin for another competition and we watch as this enormous beast is hefted using cranes and heavy duty equipment into a truck that nearly breaks its axels. We then must endure the anxiety of yet another competition. This one is for the real prize: the state record. I won't give it away, but it's fun to watch Bill and fans squirm with anticipation. I admit I was a little anxious myself.

      If I have any gripe with the film, it's small and merely a technicality, but there is a lot of terms and jargon in the movie that aren't well explained. We get the idea well enough, but it'd be nice to know the difference between a "903 Sherwood" and an "1106 Hester." These are obviously types of pumpkins, but what's with the numbers and names, and what is the difference between some of these types? My second gripe is of personal nature. I really wanted to see one of those bad boys carved into a giant jack-o-lantern and lit up just right to scare the bejesus out of young trick or treaters.

      I would also be remiss in not mentioning the music. At times we're treated to montages of different things set to music. Whether it's the goings-on at the fair, the gorgeous shots of the countryside where Bill lives, or just the time-lapse shots of the pumpkin patch, it is all set to awesome guitar picking by Steve Kaul. It fits the mood perfectly and gives just the right sense or aura to each scene; especially since most of the film takes place in the country.

      You might've noticed there's a family connection between the cast and the film makers. You might also think that this could lead to some boring, drawn-out, family shots that you don't care about (like watching a slide show of your neighbor's trip to Nebraska). But nothing could be further from the truth. The editing is well done and professional and keeps things moving along nicely. There's some comic relief at times with neighbors and jealous competitors to also keep us happy.

      So as documentaries go, which usually start interesting for me and then taper off as I begin to lose interest, this is one of the more enjoyable and unique I've seen in a long time. Recently being considered for some upcoming documentary film festivals and screenings, keep an eye out for this one, because it's one you'll want to check out for certain. As Bill says, it will likely "squash the competiton."

andrew@moviepatron.com