The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race – Movie Review
Director: Lynn Hegarty
Writer: Melanie Tait (Screenplay)
Cast
- Claire van der Boom (Backlight)
- Katie Wall
- Genevieve Lemon (The Power of the Dog)
- Tiriel Mora (The Castle)
- Robyn Nevin (Sting)
- Olivia Stambouliah (Ambulance)
Plot: Penny returns to her childhood home for the Appleton Show and its ‘world famous’ potato race, she is outraged that the men’s first prize pays out $2,000 and the winning woman’s prize is only $200. She is determined to right this wrong.
Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race starts when Penny Anderson (Boom) returns to her childhood home to run a small doctor’s practice. She learns the receptionist Joan Bunyan (Nevin) has a set way of doing things, one that Penny must adapt to. However, the thing that grabs her attention the most is the local Potato Race.
It is a tradition the town has been running for years. However, the prize money between the male and female races and Penny sets out to make it more equal. Penny tries to tackle the situation fairly. However, things go viral, and she causes trouble in the home town stuck in a non-equal right way.
Verdict on The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race
The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race is a comedy-drama following a doctor who returns to her home town. She must get used to the small-town feeling again and looks to help bring equality to the local sporting event. However, not everyone likes what she wants to bring to the town.
This movie dives into town tradition and learning to evolve to continue to bring the community together. It leads the equality debate in sport, a present subject included in more major sporting events. This even uses the arguments on the table as to why there isn’t at every level. We get the characters stuck in tradition and others who see the light in change. The story is one that you can see how everything will play out, but it is done with a good heart and community spirit.
Where to Watch
On UK digital 15 July from Reel 2 Reel Films
Final Thoughts – The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race is an enjoyable community-feeling movie.
