Not a Bummer for the Kiddies

It’s not the feel-good movie of the summer, but for kids, “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” could be their guilty pleasure flick.

Based on the award-winning series of books by Megan McDonald, the animated sequences and imaginative story will have them hooked from start to finish.

Adults be warned however, you may have a hard time enjoying it.

Aside from an appearance from Steve Urkel himself, Jaleel White, there isn’t much of a cool factor here if you’re over the age of 20.

Not to be confused with any of the slew of more modern children’s flicks out there, this movie lacks the type of duality that gives adults a reason to stay in the theater. At the same time, if your child is past a certain age, they may opt for something with some more zing. With that being said, if your kids don’t have their own cell phones or i-Pods yet, you’re should be in okay shape; they’ll get more out of this film than anyone else.

The other kiddies, however, may find themselves shifting in their seats, yearning to get home and play video games or go on the computer. Undeniably wholesome, “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” works its magic best with kids that haven’t been ruined by technology or older children yet.

Because of this, its overall appeal is somewhat limited. That’s not Jordana Beatty, the star of the film’s fault though. Adorable, witty and fun, Beatty works well with the always beautiful Heather Graham, who plays Aunt Opal. This is obviously not a film that any adult will remember her in, but ultimately she’s solid as the cool, hip aunt.

Over the course of the film, the duo have a wacky adventure full of twists, turns and guerrilla art. Parris Mosteller is hilarious as well as Beatty’s brother Stink. Like Beatty, this is Mosteller’s first feature film and from their performances here, the two have talent and would definitely fit in with the Disney channel crowd.

Regardless of their apparent chemistry though, the film will drag for adult viewers, who won’t connect with the source material in spite of the charismatic, yet young performances of many of the characters.

That doesn’t mean the film is a waste of time though. In a day and age where it’s nearly impossible to find a “safe” film to take young children to, “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” is a perfect choice for families with young children. Innocent, endearing and cute, the kiddies will find something to love here.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

1 Comment

  1. I watched this last night and LOVED it and I’m 17. :) It was like being being her age again for little while. I used to love the Judy Moody books when I was in elementary school and I was so excited to see they made a movie. :)

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