Starring Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham, Paris Mosteller
Directed by John Schulz
Plot: 3rd grader, Judy Moody is out to have the most thrilling summer ever until she finds out her best friends are leaving for the summer to exotic locales and exciting camps. When her Aunt Opal comes to stay with her and her Bigfoot-obsessed brother, Stink; they set out to find summer thrills to rival those of her friends.
In a word? Mindnumbing. Now I'm not the target audience. I took two members of the target audience, an eight-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl who are fans of the books, to see it with me, and they loved it.
I always appreciate kids movies where the writers and directors remember that parents will be sitting through the film with their kids; Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is not one of those movies. Filled with sub-par acting and forgettable humor, take some Excedrin before taking your kids to see this.
I read a couple of the books when they first came out. They were amusing enough, but seemed more like poor imitations of the Junie B. Jones series. The only real bright spot is newcomer Jordana Beatty who infuses her Judy with a manic energy and charm. I'd love to see what she could do with some better source material. The rest of the kid actors are tolerable at best. Heather Graham seems out of place as Judy's odd Aunt Opal who comes to stay with her when her parents have to go out of town. Opal is a guerrilla artist who has traveled the world, but never learned to drive a car. There is also an odd and misplaced cameo by
Unless your kids are dying to see this one, skip it in the theater and let them see it on DVD when you can find something better to do...like re-grout your bathroom tiles.
*****
Dad Suitability - If your kids must see this, make Mom take them and tell her it's your Father's Day present.
Kid Suitability - As I stated, the 8 and 9 year olds loved it, but I can't think any kids much older than that will find this amusing.
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