Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer

The main reason I was interested in this movie is because of Heather Graham; I know this is a children's movie but you know children don't go to the theaters by themselves and don't buy tickets by themselves so I assumed filmmakers would keep in mind that adults are going to be in the theater as well; unless I suppose it's aimed at the DVD market.

The manic energy that comes from kids is there but really nothing more. The movie centers around Judy Moody who decides to quantify the quality of her summer break with points for doing daring things only to find that her friends are racking up more points by virtue of exotic locales and exotic camps. Aunt Opal (Graham) is there for the summer to look after the kids and she's a guerrilla artist (and let's leave it at that).

The setup does promise an interesting look at various things like friendship - the cool friends who aren't there against the not so cool friend who is there; the relationship between the free-spirited Aunt Opal and Judy; or Judy's relationship with her brother who she seems to detest or the fact that their parents can't afford to get her to expensive camps and trips. But, unfortunately, it really doesn't do any of that - it just consists of kids of running around clumsily enacting one part after another of the story. This is where the adults would be annoyed - the story, characters going absolutely nowhere for an hour in the middle of the movie.

If you're going to see this with your kids, there is some redemption at the ending and have to brave through the middle parts. As for Heather Graham, I wish she was more in the movie; she barely even registers among all the chaos.

As you probably know, this film isn't very good. There are stereotypes, the plot and dialogue are basic at best, but worst of all it is almost interminably boring. The characters are vacuums for charisma and personality, with the exception of perhaps the little brother who plays the hyperactive annoying little boy role with alarming credibility. The whole 'thrill points' storyline wasn't fun or interesting.

The production department is the only one that comes out with any credit here: the bright, bold and colorful art direction injects the film with an energy and immediacy it hitherto would have lacked. The whole movie maintains this look, including the costumes and even the ice lollies - it is easily the most identifiable thing here.

Otherwise, there simply isn't enough in Judy Moody to keep a viewer of any age engrossed; if a film can't hold your attention it really has nothing. Aside from the promising first ten minutes this was a letdown.

Nine-year-old, Makai Weber Colvin, a KIDS FIRST youth film critic reviewed the new "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" movie and couldn't have been more glowing in her comments: I liked this movie because it has a lot of fun and action in it. The super-silly mix of animation and live action, is the perfect way to tell this story, it makes you feel like you're actually there having fun with the characters. Jordana Beatty plays the part of Judy Moody, a young girl with a really wild imagination. When her summer plans get turned upside down, Judy starts a "Thrill Contest" with her three best friends. Unfortunately, all Judy's thrills get spoiled, until she joins her brother Stink on the hunt for Big Foot, who's been seen around their town. I really liked Aunt Opal, played by Heather Graham, because she's like a kid in a grown-up body. She makes every scene exciting. Judy's teacher, Mr. Todd, (Jaleel White), is every kid's dream – he's charming and makes learning a joyful adventure. If your summer is getting boring, or if you want to make it even more fun, check out "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" when it comes to a theater near you. I suggest this movie for kids of all ages and even most parents will like it. I give it five-out-of-five stars. Catch Judy Moody to make your summer a "Not Bummer."

After a decade I finally got around to watching this movie. There's nothing terrible about it it's just that nothing happens. There's no drama or conflict just kids messing around. The ingredients for a good movie seem to be there but nothing quite comes together. Five out of 10 - a halfway rating for a half effort movie.

Sometimes things like the economy, gas prices, apocalypse theories, and local news reports can get you down. If you need a pick-me-up, sometimes it helps to see a kid's or family movie. The vision of reckless adventures and colorfully spirited humor can give a person a nostalgic view of the past. Yeah, that works with some kid's movies. This one, on the other hand, made the gas prices look like nothing. Not only were there serious problems with the title, poster, character names and personalities, and overall conflicts of the storyline; but the movie itself sucked too. Anyone who says that the audience wasn't massive enough, or that this movie didn't get enough credit, is horribly wrong. I saw this film with my nephew, who is 8, and he gave up and left the theater after about 30 minutes. And kids love going to the movies. He spent the remaining hour of the film walking around the movie theater lobby eating popcorn. Bottom line, This is definitely the worst theatrically released film of the summer. No questions asked. The writers of this film deserve every poor review and every lost cent. I don't personally believe in 2012, but after seeing this movie, I'm starting to seriously reconsider.