Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
Directed by: John Schultz Cast: Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham, Parris Mosteller, Jaleel White Running Time: 1 hr 31 mins Rating: PG Release Date: June 10, 2011
PLOT: A young girl (Beatty) determined to have the best summer ever, creates a system that awards her with thrill points whenever she does something different and exciting.
WHO'S IT FOR?: Kids who like poop jokes will get a few bits of imagination sprinkled into their entertainment diet, but the amount is underwhelming considering the movie's potential. As for me, my inner-child and outer-adult were both bored by the movie midway through, once it lost its spark as something creative and instead became something dull.
EXPECTATIONS: Especially with its grammatical toying, this one looked pretty silly. But what does a "not bummer summer" constitute? Hopefully this movie would encourage creativity both with and within the movie. And possibly could it even promote athleticism to kids? Would Heather Graham be on roller skates?
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS:
Jordana Beatty as Judy Moody: A tad too moody, Judy can indeed tend to be a bummer. Maybe it's because she's an over competitive whippersnapper with some difficult goals, but her attitude can be a bit of a downer. Instead of embracing the craziness of her situation, she tells herself she's a failure (which is generally something that audiences don't enjoy watching). She's also a proud bandwagon pirate, stealing Stink's schemes in at least two occasions, which muffles the movie's belief in Judy's magical imagination. And simply put, Beatty isn't the best child actress, something that becomes clear during a few stiff interactions with her cast mates. Score: 4
Heather Graham as Aunt Opal: Adults don't have to be responsible either. Aunt Opal casts an uncertain shadow of the future on Judy Moody with her antics, as the movie paints her out to be the ultimate free spirit. But at the same time, her tone with Judy and Stink feels slightly condescending, and not "supportive" like someone in her shoes (or on a kid's show) should be. Opal's presence (always at home, painting) is a bit mysterious - is she connecting to a young inner Opal with help of Judy, or is she simply trapped in a mindset where responsibility holds very little value? Score: 4
Rest of Cast: Stink (Mosteller) is the one with more of the imagination, not to mention the determination. Jaleel White makes a goofy brief appearance as Judy's elusive teacher, who leads them in a singalong in the beginning of the film. Score: 5
TALKING: Judy Moody likes to funk around with its wordplay, conjuring up spell check unfriendly creations like "megatotalsuperseriously" and "sickawesome." The words of Judy Moody give it a bit more sense of spunk, especially since it might even encourage kids to realize the creative potential words have. Hippie stoners and Shakespeare aren't the only ones who get have the vernacular fun, dude. Score: 7
SIGHTS: In the beginning, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer bursts into your eyeballs like another viewing of Speed Racer. This enthusiasm for bright colors and hyper editing seems to morbidly calm down as the movie progresses, making it less and less a vibrant visual treat. Text appears on the screen during a singalong in the beginning to further the notion that at times Judy Moody is like a children's show. If this were a TV show, then the outdated animation style used for Judy's imagination might be a bit more forgivable. Score: 7
SOUNDS: Judy Moody receives her anthems for rambunctiousness from 11-year-old singer Camryn, who contributes three songs to the Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer soundtrack. Often featured in "wacky" and "fun" montages, song titles include "So What Oh Well" and "Wait and See." A song called "Summer" completes the guarantee that 11-year-olds who like this movie will also probably enjoy Camryn. Score: 5
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: The beginning of the film, up until the appearance of Aunt Opal, had me really excited. It was a unique meeting of my youthful self and the "grownup" that still loves bright colors in films and cartoonish live-action moments. I was prepared to defend this movie to colleagues who would probably dismiss this as something not so special. Unfortunately, that's what this movie turned out to be once Judy's thrill point goal started to kick in.
ENDING: Judy Moody steps back and realizes the worth of her assumed failures. There are outtakes at the end.
QUESTIONS: Is this a composite of all of the books by Megan McDonald, or is this just one? How big of a following does this series have?
REWATCHABILITY: In the beginning of the film, I was prepared to recommend this movie to my arthouse friends for its color palette alone. Halfway through Judy Moody, I was embarrassed that I had even contemplated such a thing.
OVERALL
With its certainly moody lead, Not Bummer Summer goes a long way to discourage the fun that it should be embracing. Judy takes part in numerous "thrill point" challenges, and only sees the negative aspects in them until the audience doesn't care either way. Instead, the story should have created an actual competition tournament, where points aren't just thrown around (how does one earn exactly thirty-seven "thrill points" anyway?) This would also allow the opportunity for more characters. Judy, Stink, Opal, and even Judy's friend Frank lose their actual spark once we realize how simple their creativity can be.
Before it reduces its imagination to poop jokes and only wacky wordplay, Judy Moody blasts off as a unique treat, something that could inspire children while giving their adult chaperones a funky field trip from typical kid's fare. Since she is so discouraged by her "failures," Judy brings the movie down as a whole, and the vibrancy of the movie's fun gets sucked away.
Forty-two out of 100 thrill points. Two extra points for being a bit less of a summer bummer compared to The Hangover: Part II.
FINAL SCORE: 4/10