Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (Relativity Pictures)
Strictly For the Kids
Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer is a movie based on the childrens book by Megan McDonald. It tells the story of third grader Judy Moody and her plans for an exciting summer. Her plans go awry as her friends get other plans and she is left in the care of her zany Aunt Opal. Their adventures will entertain the kids but the adults may be counting the minutes.
Judy Moody (Jordana Beatty) is in the third room class taught by Mr. Todd (Jaleel White). She has great plans for the summer which includes spending time with her best friends Rocky (Garrett Ryan), Amy (Taylar Hender) and Frank (Preston Bailey). Almost immediately she is disappointed to learn Rocky is going to a circus camp while Amy is going with her mom to Borneo. Now Judy is left with just Frank and her brother Stink (Parris Mosteller).
To add insult to injury Judys parents inform her they have to fly to California to look after sick relatives. Their Aunt Opal (Heather Graham) will be taking care of them. When Aunt Opal arrives she proves to be a wild and whacky presence. The rest of the film concerns the misadventures of Judy, Stink, Opal and Frank. This quartet of misfits even gets caught up in a search for Bigfoot.
Kids will find their fun in seeing Frank throw up on Judy while riding the scream machine. Then there is the hunt for Bigfoot poop which somehow ends up on their sandwiches. These incidents are enhanced by cartoon creatures who spell out what is happening in Judys mind.
The film is rated PG for some mildly rude humor.
Graham is actually fun as Opal while Beatty is grating as Judy. Still her personality will probably make kids like her more. Beatty certainly looks the part of Judy Moody. Bailey is a good addition to the cast as Frank while Mosteller doesnt add anything as Stink. It is great to see Jaleel Urkel White again.
The kids I know who have seen it loved it while the parents/grandparents exited the theater with pained expressions. Still a movie like this is aimed for the younger crowd and if they find it delightful then who are the adults to quibble.
I scored Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer a schools out 6 out of 10.
