Where Hope Grows

Calvin Campbell was a professional baseball player whose career ended early because panic attacks kept him from performing at the plate. Now he drinks heavily, drifts through his days, and struggles to raise his teenage daughter Katie on his own. Their relationship is tense: she sees him as a failure, and he disapproves of her older boyfriend. A trip to the local grocery store brings Calvin into contact with Produce, a cheerful young man with Down syndrome who works in the produce section and greets customers with warmth. An unlikely friendship forms, pulling Calvin out of his downward spiral.

Chris Dowling wrote and directed the drama, which was released in 2014. It followed his 2010 directorial debut, Rock Slyde, and came before Bad Counselors. Kristoffer Polaha plays Calvin, David DeSanctis plays Produce, and McKaley Miller appears as Katie, with Michael Grant, William Zabka and Brooke Burns in supporting roles.

The film was produced by Godspeed Pictures and took about one million dollars at the worldwide box office. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.6 from roughly 3,700 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.9 from far fewer votes, meaning the smaller group of viewers there responded more warmly than the broader IMDb audience.