“Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer” is based on a very popular book series for kids, written by Megan McDonald. She also helped write the screenplay so fans of the books should be pretty happy with this on-screen version.
Australian newcomer Jordana Beatty plays Judy, a third grader who wants to have the best summer ever. To make this happen she has to do as many cool and exciting things as possible, to earn more “thrill points” than her friends. The problem is, her two best friends both go away for the summer, leaving Judy bummed-out.
And what’s worse, her parents have to go away to California, leaving Judy and her younger brother Stink at home. Their Aunt Opal (played by Heather Graham) comes to stay with the kids for the summer. But Aunt Opal turns out to be a lot of fun, and she helps Judy earn thrill points and helps Stink try to find Bigfoot, which is all he cares about.
The target audience for “Judy Moody” is 5-9 year olds, and for them, this movie may work. The story is simple and the younger ones will be able to relate to the ups and downs that Judy goes through. Of course the entire movie is predictable, but 8 year olds won’t realize that.
The trailer for “Judy Moody” (which I had to see too many times) made this movie look awful. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sit through the entire movie. But I was pleasantly surprised. There are a few gross out and unnecessary scenes but overall “Judy Moody” is far better than the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies or “Shorts”, other recent family comedies geared toward the elementary school crowd.
Beatty is likable as Judy and the rest of the cast gives it their all, including Graham and Jaleel White (TV’s Urkel), who plays Judy’s teacher. The movie is directed by John Schultz, whose most recent film, “Aliens in the Attic”, was a disaster. Schultz likes close-ups and uses them often. Too often.
Some of the best scenes in “Judy Moody” are the short, animated sequences that Schultz uses from time to time to show Judy’s imagination. The animation style is quite cute and the little stories are sweet. I wish there were more of them. The main story – whether or not Judy will have a great summer – is just too basic. There are no real dramatic elements in the plot and the big climactic moment…really isn’t.
“Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer” is rated PG. It’s fine for anyone under 10, however there are a few scenes that have the characters involved in dangerous activities (including walking a tightrope over a stream and a couple a car chases) that will make parents unhappy.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer” gets a C. Younger kids should enjoy it, older kids should skip it and parents should be happy that there are still films being made like this for their little ones.