Average comedy-drama that's not as moving or as funny as it thinks it is, but remains watchable thanks to strong performances and likeable characters.

Affectionate and heartwarming it will seem to those who enjoy this sort of thing; painfully slow and dramatically inert might be the criticism of doubters.

Director Nimrod Attal manages the setting-up of this situation with some skill, but it's never developed. Nor are any of the characters.

Grow Your Own has about as much edge as a prize melon, but even if the land’s been well filled, there’s still plenty of fertile soil here. Occasionally melancholy, often funny, this is touching, lyrical home-grown fare.

One could wish that this parable of difference and tolerance gladdened the heart, but its effortful comedy has quite the opposite effect. It's just weedy.

This film is more Ground Force than ground-breaking. Watch it on DVD with a nice cup of tea.

With its chirpy score, lovable characters and Festival Of Britain flavour, Grow Your Own would have bedded in nicely as a TV movie. On the big screen, it starts to wilt.