THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM – Review

Here’s a sweet little flick all about a couple who decide (well, nudged, as you’ll see) to follow their dream. For many of us that might involve living in the “lap of luxury’, perhaps a plush estate overlooking the ocean, or a “deluxe apartment in the sky”. That’s not for these folks the cameras follow for several years. They want to return to the land and work the soil. I can barely resist humming that catchy song whose lyrics include “Farminin’ is the life for me”. Sure that premise has been the basis for TV sitcoms from the classic (which spawned that aforementioned tune) “Green Acres” to the more recent (perhaps a month old) “Bless This Mess”, which were inspired by big-screen comedies like THE EGG AND I and FUNNY FARM. And with this true tale, there are a few laughs, but even more frustration, danger, and heartbreak swirling about THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM.

The couple in question is John and Molly Chester, who are having a true “white knuckle” moment as the film begins. Things quickly reverse, or flashback, several years to 2010, when the two shared a tiny apartment in Santa Monica. John’s a nature photographer while Molly is a private chef who delights in using the freshest fruits and veggies. They both imagine a different life but don’t “go for it” until fate steps in, wagging its tail. On a TV assignment, John covers a raid on a “dog hoarder’s” house. One poor pooch catches his eye: a shaggy black-haired beauty he names Todd. Trouble is that Todd barks and howls non-stop for hours when the couple is a gone, leading to an eviction notice. The Chesters hatch a plan to get investors interested in their idea for a traditional (crops and animals)and sustainable farm, a return to nature from the big factory farms. A long forgotten 200-acre farm is available in Moorpark, just about an hour away from LA. But the drought has turned the soil into dusty hard bits of rock. The barren land had been host to lemons and avocados. But the Chesters have bigger plans, and after being jeered by several farming experts, they find an eccentric agriculture “guru” named Alan York, who thinks the land could be fertile (John’s a bit skeptical, though). Soon an irrigation and composting system is set up, and an internet plea for help brings several eager young naturalists. Then the animals begin to arrive: chickens, sheep, cows, and a very pregnant pig. As the years roll on, the Chesters are tested by pests and predators along with the brutality of Mother Nature. Are they up for the constant challenges, or will they pack it in for the city life once more?

Sure, it’s a simple story, but it’s not syrupy sweet with lots of slow-motion running through those “amber waves” on your way to pet some “fur-babies”. This is an emotional roller-coaster, with enough twists and turns (and surprises) to fill several mystery-thrillers. This “back to nature’ parable is modestly told, mostly comprised of the beautiful cinematography of star subject and frequent narrator John Chester (wife Molly chimes in frequently, to great effect). The score by Jeff Beal never overwhelms while the delightful animation (like a moving children’s’ book) by Jason Carpenter adds some needed whimsey that hammers home the harsh realities of rural life. It seems that with every glorious success comes a half dozen agonizing set-backs. John is adamant about not harming the adjacent wildlife until a chicken-slaughtering coyote backs him into a corner in one of the film’s most dramatic sequences (like the old Western gunfighter forced into a shoot-out with a cocky young upstart). But he learns from this and soon John tells us that the coyotes can be beneficial to the whole eco-system. This is driven home in the battle with crop-eating snails. Who knew that ducks gobbled them up (that’s truly daffy)? At times John’s role as farmer seems more like a director or president, as he is bombarded with new situations, brought up by Molly and the staff, that requires a swift decision. Luckily there’s a terrific balance in tone, going from the heartache of having to “put down” beloved stock, to the quirky friendship/romance of the “gi-normous” porcine queen Emma and scraggly exiled rooster Mr. Greasy (how about an animated spin-off, eh Pixar). Like the best documentaries, this a celebration of the human spirit via the determination of the Chester family. They’re the reason why you should spend some time down at Apricot Lanes, THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM that’s full of grit and heart. As that TV theme goes, “…keep Manhatten, just gimme’ that countryside”.

4.5 out of 5

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas and the Hi-Pointe’s Backlot Theatre