JUDY MOODY AND THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER — 3 stars — Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham; PG (mild crude humor and language); in general release
With summer just around the corner, kids K-12 are gearing up for what they hope will be the best summer ever in "Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer." But for third-grader Judy Moody, the title character played by Australian newcomer Jordana Beatty, her ideal summer comes to a shattering halt as several of her friends and her parents skip town, leaving her with stranger Aunt Opal and her brother, Stink.
Moody had it all planned out; since she thought summer could only be measured in thrill points, Moody came up with a system of different activities for her and her friends to conquer during the months of complete freedom.
But when two of her three best friends leave, she's left with Frank, her puny and anxious friend who gets nauseous before they can accomplish a single thrill. After throwing a fit to her departing friends and vocalizing her blatant lack of enthusiasm for Frank, Moody roars to her room and pledges to stay locked up until September.
The rest of the film documents Moody's turbulent summer as she tries one thing after another to earn her thrill points. She burns a few bridges, gets dubbed a "fun sponge" and constantly refers back to that chart, promising herself that if she follows the chart, her summer could still be saved.
However, the chart designed to rule the summer turns Moody into a "fun sponge," as she stomps and roars at the only friend who stayed in town, Frank. When he finally stands up to her, she has to make a choice: Does she stick to her chart or let go?
That's when Aunt Opal, played by Heather Graham, comes into play. Although Opal acts closer to Moody's age than her own, she fills the shoes of the absent parents and Judy's traveling friends. She's exactly the kind of free spirit Moody needs to learn how to make her own fun and go with the flow of the summer. Because of Opal, Judy learns to harness her own creativity and transform it into new, spontaneous activities.
Beatty takes on the role of Moody brilliantly, personifying the loved storybook character. With a "double-rare" vocabulary and a fiery personality, Beatty brings Moody to life in a way most 13-year-old girls couldn't.
The rest of the cast brings a fun, surreal vibe to the movie. Graham steps into the role of the bizarre, indie Opal, and lets her carefree personality rule the screen with her free spirit and unique view of the world. The strange, but patient parents and the spunky little brother Stink, played by Parris Mosteller, give viewers the impression that this family may just be quirky enough to actually exist.
The plot itself is fast-paced and exciting, jumping from event to event to match the attention span of most elementary school-age children. Without resting too long on any scene or conversation, the film doesn't develop quite as much as it could. However, the shallow development of the film actually makes the portrayed summer more relatable to the younger generations who will be watching it, as summer often flies by at the blink of an eye.
However, it's the bright and borderline obnoxious colors weaved into every element of the cinematography that bring this children's film to a new level. Each scene is masked in vibrant and neon colors, whether it's in the wardrobes or the walls of Moody's room. It's these colors that give the realistic story an extra flair, separating the film from others in its genre.
The film was a vibrant and fun story of a headstrong girl who finally learns to go with the flow. Not only does it portray Moody's transformation from a fun sponge to a fun seeker, but it also helps kids and parents see family values in place within the media. Kids can be friends with the adults once in a while, and adults can be more fun than their kids give them credit for.
Email: corton@desnews.com