A Plumm Summer

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.

Elliott Plumm (Chris Masoglia) and his younger brother, Rocky (Owen Pearce) live in knock-out gorgeous Montana in the early sixties. Their father, Mick (William Baldwin) drinks too much and never seems to have time for Elliott, seeming to prefer kindergartner Rocky. Mother Roxie (Laura Guerrero) is an attentive mother but she is getting fed up with Mick and his antics. More importantly, Elliott is shy and resents having to share a room with his little brother, even going so far as to dividing their room with a marker on the floor. Only Rocky is carefree, for he is young and enamored with the local television star-magician (Henry Winkler) and his darling frog marionette Froggy-Do. Changes occur. First, the Plumms get new neighbors, a single father and his daughter, who casts her eye on Elliott. Then, someone actually frog-naps Froggy-Do and the show can't go on, as the magic man won't go solo without his beloved sidekick. Can Elliott find Froggy-Do for the town and his brother Rocky? This film, set in knockout gorgeous Montana, has a light-hearted cover and a cute, cute puppet. But, beneath the story are serious issues, like divorce, alcoholism, and mental instability. So, in my view, not for every family. That said, the cast, costumes, script, direction, and all other amenities are quite fine. If you are searching for a family flick that might get the loved ones into an actual conversation, this would be one to try. But, if you are seeking a film that is sweetness and light, look for Beethoven's Big Break or, truly, any of the Beethoven movies.

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.

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.

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.