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 JUDY MOODY AND THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER (THREE-DISC EDITION BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL COPY) |
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| Featuring: Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham, Preston Bailey, Parris Mosteller, Garrett Ryan |
| Director: John Schultz |
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Distributor: Relativity Media |
| DVD release: 11 October 2011 |
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Runtime: 91 min.
(3 discs) |
| Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: 1080p High Definition, Aspect ratio 1.85:1, Audio tracks (English - DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; French - Dolby Digital 5.1), Subtitles (English SDH, Spanish), Join the Toad Pee Club, Judy Moody's Guide to Making a Movie, Flippin Out With The Cast, Camryn's "Wait and See" Music Video, 10 Things You Need To Know About Judy Moody, Deleted scenes, Theatrical trailer, Activity booklet |
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Megan McDonald's amazing Judy Moody books come to life in JUDY MOODY AND THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER. I have read McDonald's Judy Moody books with my children and found them to be quite enjoyable. The kids like them, too, which is a plus—I hate forcing them through an entire series of books just because I enjoy them. (Just kidding. I don't mind it at all.) Judy is an incredible girl with a serious artistic bent (something my daughter can relate to).
 The film's Judy is similar, and I was glad to discover that McDonald worked closely with the filmmakers to make it so. I worried that Peter H. Reynolds' artwork would be left aside in the film, but they managed to work it into several well-produced imagination sequences. Rare!
 Judy (Jordana Beatty) is adamant that she will not have a lame summer (as is the norm). Just before school gets out, she devises a plan to award Thrill Points to various summertime activities she and her friends may experience. Unfortunately, she discovers that her super-bestest friend in the world, Rocky (Garrett Ryan), is going to circus camp, and her other friend, Amy (Taylar Hender), is going to Borneo (is that even a real place?).
This throws a wrench into the works and puts Judy in a mood—not to mention that her parents are going to California without her and her brother, Stink (Parris Mosteller), leaving her to stay home with her most likely lame Aunt Opal (Heather Graham). She's stuck with Frank (Preston Bailey), who eats paste, as a Thrill Point buddy. It's an uphill battle, but at least Aunt Opal turns out to not be that bad.
The film is not so much a combination of any of the books but a later edition. Many of Judy's previous adventures are alluded to, though some of the content defies canon. Aunt Opal did NOT give Judy her mood ring in the books, for instance, although I suppose I should judge the film on its own merits, which are many.
Judy, Stink, and Opal have a good summer, and I had a good time seeing this film. Even if I hadn't read the books, I would still enjoy this eclectic flight of fancy, though it gets a touch comical at times. Judy's mom's hair is, I suppose, supposed to call to mind her illustrated persona, but instead it's a touch off-putting. Still, I can't discourage anyone from seeing this. I enjoyed it, my kids (including a 12-year-old boy) enjoyed it, and I think you will, too.
Extras include some making-of featurettes, a quiz with which to gain access to the Toad Pee Club (it's not THAT difficult to join it in real life), deleted scenes and the like. The Blu-ray picture is beautiful, and the sound really pops in 5:1 DTS. The DVD and digital copy allow you to take Judy wherever you go.
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