Film Reviews

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer

• Rating:
• Director: John Schultz
• Starring: Heather Graham
• Details: US / 91 mins (PG)

Coming the same week as Selena Gomez starrer Monte Carlo, this crasser effort will ironically play far better to younger viewers. Of course it's the kind crass that is utterly inoffensive i.e. poop and vomit gags galore. An adaptation of a(nother) hugely popular kids series - after the successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid - the influence of that series is plainly evident here, and the resulting film is tiresome at best.
Jordana Beatty is the titular Judy Moody, a young girl desperate to have the best summer of her young life. When her parents announce that they're going to California (and not taking Judy or her younger sibling), she is annoyed until she realises that kooky aunt Opal (Graham, paying the mortgage) will be taking care of them. After a plot device involving a "thrill chart" (naturally, not as provocative as it sounds) Judy and her brother Stink decide to catch Bigfoot with said kooky aunt.
What is it with adult characters in kid's movies? If any normal person acted that way they'd be arrested immediately and then assaulted repeatedly in prison. Is this the type of example we want to give the children? In some warped parallel universe there's a really messed up movie with all of these characters being directed by Larry Clarke. These are the type of things a grown man will think about whilst sitting through a film like Moody Judy, so it's probably a good thing that you'll have kids with you, thus have something to offer a distraction.
It's all very slapstick and is innately aware of its audience. It's also directed with a barrage of bright colours and lead Beatty isn't the kind of kid star that makes you wanna throw something at the screen. But it's also grating after about ten minutes, and is further evidence that if Rollergirl was a real person, she'd probably have a healthier career than Heather Graham right now.

Review by Mike Sheridan