Bill Gibron is a veteran film critic from Tampa, Florida.Never before in the history of cinema has a movie been so purposefully micromanaged toward a specific sub-subsection of the demographic as Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer. From the apparently popular source material to the reliance on glitter paint and garish, neon bright primary colors, this is an entertainment aimed solely at the eight and a half to near nine year old, specifically a girl who has yet to discover boys (or boy bands), watches more Nickelodeon than Disney, wouldn't know Miley from her Achy Breaky dad, and still believes in the wonder and magic of those lazy hazy crazy days from June to September. Anyone else needs to stay away lest they be completely ignored and irritated. With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, Judy (newcomer Jordana Beatty) and the fellow members of the TP (stands for "Toad Pee") Club, Rocky (Garrett Ryan), Frank (Preston Bailey), and Amy (Taylor Hender) are plotting out the entirety of their Summer vacation. It involves a contest, collecting "thrill points," and basically avoiding boredom. It also means steering clear of Judy's obnoxious, Bigfoot-obsessed brother Stink (Paris Mosteller). Unfortunately, two of her chums have other plans -- clown camp and a trip to Borneo, specifically -- leaving their hyperactive pal in a panic. But when Judy's eccentric Aunt Opal (Heather Graham) shows up to babysit, our heroine learns a valuable lesson in sundrenched fun -- Summer doesn't owe you a good time. Summer is what you make it.
Like a laser refined and then filtered through an even more precise aperture, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer is not intended as generic populist entertainment. Boys will be beyond bored while adults will stare blankly at the screen, the rapid-fire post-millennial Valley girl slang slapping them in the face like a rancid wet herring. While your little sister/daughter works herself up into a over-excited tizzy re: the sparkly handmade poster boards, the wicked way-cool adults, the sticker-festooned journals, the various cartoon tchotchkes, and the non-threatening male/female friendships, the rest of the family unit will have to find another way to spend 80 minutes. If there is such a thing as a 'pre-chick' flick, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer is it.
For his part, director John Schultz joins a long list of middling moviemakers that believe loud noises and rapid-fire editing will satisfy the Ritalin-regressed pre-teen brain. There are so many jump cuts here you'd swear Sergei Eisenstein had risen from the grave and found a Moviola (look up the references, kiddies). Schultz keeps pushing...pushing...pushing, hoping to get by on sheer momentum alone. But like any sugar-shocked grade-schooler, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer eventually crashes, falling into a repetitive trap that robs the movie of its already limited appeal.
As for the performances, all the kids are adequate. Newbie Beatty is often overwhelmed by the puckish mischief of her Central Casting little brother (Mosteller does steal many a scene), but for the most part, everyone (including Graham) hits the right notes. The script is a bit stuffed, including the contest, a hunt for the aforementioned Sasquatch, and a bit of "Where's Waldo?" with Judy's favorite teacher (a surprise cameo from Urkel himself, Jaleel White), but that goes with the Megan McDonald book series source.
No one is suggesting that a family film can't cater to whomever it wants. Boy-oriented efforts do it all the time. Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer does offer a few poop and potty jokes to keep those filled with snails and puppy dog tails mildly amused. The rest of the time, this is like girl power on pixie sticks.
