A Plumm Summer

We were very glad to have dvr'ed this movie and watched it with the kids! It was fun to look up more details about the real story and investigate where in Montana it was filmed! The videography was gorgeous, showing some of the very best of Montana and very much why we live here! I hope someone picks this up in the future and produces the planned sequels (keeping them set and produced in Montana where the story belongs!).

I've ordered a copy for our local library circulation, just because it's a clean family movie with a Montana theme and location. I'll be glad to recommend it to people looking for a good family night movie.

This film was recommended by a family friend and she was 100% on point in that recommendation. I watched it with my daughter, she is 11, and we both loved the film. I am a huge Henry Winkler and Lisa Guerrero fan so I was stoked to watch the movie. The story line was fun, filled with lots of entertaining twists and turns that made us both laugh out loud. Enjoyable characters and family friendly this was exactly was we needed during this lock down. I wish that this movie was on streaming so I could share with our middle school class, perfect fun and uplifting movie.

A Plumm Summer is a sweet little indie film pulled off perfectly. There are some big names in the supporting cast who are all note-perfect, most notably Peter Scolari and Henry Winkler. Billy Baldwin also puts in a very good turn for the first time in quite a while. Newcomers Chris Massoglia and Owen Pearce couldn't be any cuter and more adorable as the brothers/stars of the film. Massoglia (credited as "Chris J. Kelly") is particularly outstanding considering it's his first jump from TV to film - you really like him and feel for his character. To me, A Plumm Summer hearkens back to 6:00 on Sunday when the family would gather around the TV with dinners in hand to watch the Wonderful World of Disney's weekly fare. This is like that... but better quality than most of what Walt served up. There's some real heart to this effort thanks to genuine drama that hits a message without becoming overwrought with itself. The mystery element to the story is none too deep or complex, but it doesn't need to be; it's just the vehicle that introduces some very likable characters and lets us get to know them. There's a laugh or two along the way and everything is generally light-hearted and fun. It's a good family film that entertains as well as confronts a serious note or two along the way. It won't change the landscape of movie-making, but it's awfully nice to see that somebody will still make a sweet, innocent film like this. Kudos to the folks responsible for doing that. A very endearing, charming, family film worth anyone's time.

My definition of a family movie is one that has as much in it for the adults of the family as it has for the youngsters. By that measure this is NOT a family movie. It is a kids' movie, and only younger kids at that. As kids movies go, there is probably a lot for them to enjoy. Any adult enjoyment will come from watching their kids enjoy it, not from the movie itself - and that's despite the fact that there are a lot of well known actors here and that this is based on a true story. There are certainly some scenes and themes in this that are aimed at adults. Sadly, they are kind of swamped by the silly scenes. Unfortunately, generally speaking, the plot is a bit too puerile, unsubtle, poorly acted and far fetched to appeal to adults. Turn this on with the kids and then go read a good book.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival had a first today. The Applebox section, consisting of family-oriented fare, had never before featured a film which was so popular that people had to be turned away at the door. It happened this morning with "A Plumm Summer." First-time director and screenwriter Caroline Zelder's gem of a film recounts a true incident in 1968 when Froggy Doo, a popular children's character on local Montana television, went missing. The show's host, Happy Herb (Happy Days' Henry Winkler), fears that his beloved puppet has been kidnapped. Amateur detectives Eliott Plumm (14-year-old Chris Kelly, scene-stealer #1) and his little brother Rocky (Owen Pearce, scene-stealer #2) are determined to find Froggy Doo before the F.B.I. bungles the case (watch for Peter Scolari as a hapless agent). William Baldwin is frighteningly real as the down-on-his-luck father, and Jeff Daniels' voice-over as the present-day Elliott was a treat. Brenda Strong and Lisa Guerrero are other actors of note who jumped at the chance to participate in this little indie after reading Zelder's sweet script. Much of the cast and crew were present for a Q&A, which was as fun and delightful as the film itself. Far too few films like this are being made, and "A Plumm Summer" is a reminder of just how good they can be.