Watch Kids' Reviews of
MAGIE'S LEMONADE

I enjoyed the college student short film Magpie's Lemonade a lot! It features great world-building and an entertaining, easy-to-follow plot.

The storyline follows Gerry, a delivery driver for Magpie's Lemonade, who is offered a promotion to Lemonade Salesman. His first assignment is to convince a local stand, Kyle's Kool Lemonade, to join the corporate giant. Gerry is quickly shut down by the owner, Kyle, whose refusal is rooted in family tradition since his father used to run the stand. Set in a modern, "hyper-capitalistic world" where Magpie's owns almost all the children's lemonade stands, the film relies on sparse but effective background music, culminating in an upbeat, calming track at the end.

The performances are stellar. Zeke Bachman portrays Kyle as thoughtful and well-informed, while Rowan Harper plays Gerry with an endearing, clumsy desperation reminiscent of Adam Sandler. You can truly feel that Gerry's job is on the line through his excellent facial expressions. The costumes perfectly mirror this dynamic, charting Gerry's transition from a pink delivery uniform to an ill-fitting yellow suit, contrasting with Kyle's casual plaid shirt.

The camerawork is highly effective; a memorable shot of the duo sitting on the sidewalk on the exact same physical level beautifully visualizes their growing connection. Director and writer Jack Costello successfully highlights the importance of human connection, while production designer Hailey Pago creates authentic, realistic lemonade stands and signage that ground the fantasy world. Gerry is a fantastic protagonist, and his growth is wonderful to watch as he realizes that a job should be something you truly love, not just a means to an end.

Advisory Note: This film contains mild profanity (a character says "holy sh*t" at the 2:15 timestamp).

I give Magpie's Lemonade 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18. By Motunrayo A., KIDS FIRST!

I enjoyed the college student short film Magpie's Lemonade a lot! It features great world-building and an entertaining, easy-to-follow plot.

The storyline follows Gerry, a delivery driver for Magpie's Lemonade, who is offered a promotion to Lemonade Salesman. His first assignment is to convince a local stand, Kyle's Kool Lemonade, to join the corporate giant. Gerry is quickly shut down by the owner, Kyle, whose refusal is rooted in family tradition since his father used to run the stand. Set in a modern, "hyper-capitalistic world" where Magpie's owns almost all the children's lemonade stands, the film relies on sparse but effective background music, culminating in an upbeat, calming track at the end.

The performances are stellar. Zeke Bachman portrays Kyle as thoughtful and well-informed, while Rowan Harper plays Gerry with an endearing, clumsy desperation reminiscent of Adam Sandler. You can truly feel that Gerry's job is on the line through his excellent facial expressions. The costumes perfectly mirror this dynamic, charting Gerry's transition from a pink delivery uniform to an ill-fitting yellow suit, contrasting with Kyle's casual plaid shirt.

The camerawork is highly effective; a memorable shot of the duo sitting on the sidewalk on the exact same physical level beautifully visualizes their growing connection. Director and writer Jack Costello successfully highlights the importance of human connection, while production designer Hailey Pago creates authentic, realistic lemonade stands and signage that ground the fantasy world. Gerry is a fantastic protagonist, and his growth is wonderful to watch as he realizes that a job should be something you truly love, not just a means to an end.

Advisory Note: This film contains mild profanity (a character says "holy sh*t" at the 2:15 timestamp).

I give Magpie's Lemonade 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18. By Motunrayo A., KIDS FIRST!

Gerry, a delivery driver for Magpie's Lemonade, is offered his dream promotion to Lemonade Salesman. To earn the respect of the company's head, he accepts his first assignment: convince a resistant local stand, Kyle's Kool Lemonade, to corporate buy-in. Upon arrival, Gerry is quickly humbled by the young kid at the helm, Kyle, who makes him wait out a massive lunch rush. When Gerry finally pitches the corporate benefits, Kyle refuses to budge. As his sales pitch crumbles, the two sit on the sidewalk and discuss their differing business philosophies. Connecting with Kyle forces Gerry to realize how his pursuit of corporate approval has changed him. Ultimately, Gerry resigns from Magpie's to partner with Kyle, forging a new path together over fresh lemonade.