"A Place to Grow" is a hokey, woefully stereotypical representation of the American Midwest, brought to us by the surprisingly racist and antisemitic writer, producer, and director Merlin Miller, who also happened to be 2012's presidential nominee for the American Third Position Party.
All politics aside though, the movie is a clichéd bit of Midwest feel-good melodrama, featuring the "talents" of singers Gary Morris and the late Boxcar Willie in perhaps what should remain their only acting roles. Though the cover proudly boasts a performance by Wilford Brimley (indeed, one of the few palatable aspects of the film), he's given very little screen time to do anything with his role—and even less in the script.
However, if one truly good thing can be said about this mostly unfortunate production, it is a fine young performance by Nikki Dunaway as Laura Shuler in her only known screen credit. Shuler not only carries her own weight, she even occasionally picks up the slack when her adult counterparts fall flat.
That aside, even hardcore Midwest, or more specifically Southwest Missouri, loyalists should best avoid this turkey. Most of it isn't worth the celluloid.
