Pumpkin (2002)
This is a weird movie that can be hard to stomach, but it’s also relentlessly interesting. The tone of the movie follows the campy, satiric, goody-two-shoes tone of movies like But I’m a Cheerleader; but the subject matter takes a really dark tone that leaves the audience unsure how to feel.
Christina Ricci plays a perfect and air-headed sorority girl who falls in love with Pumpkin, a handicapped athlete she was helping so that her sorority could win an award. The movie plays their love story in a very touching way that has you rooting for the pair while everyone around them appears disgusted by the questionable match. The end of this dark, quirky love story definitely leaves the audience wondering if any of this was ethical. The movie straddles such a strange line that critics at the time weren’t sure what to do with it. There aren’t very many movies like this which is why it certainly deserves another chance.