SYNOPSIS:
Teen sensation Selena Gomez (Hannah
Montana, Wizards Of Waverly Place) teams up with newcomer
Joey King in this delightful coming-of-age comedy based on
the best-selling books by Beverly Cleary. Ramona (King) is
a little girl with a very big imagination and a nose for mischief.
Her playful antics keep everyone in her loving family on their
toes, including her older sister Beezus (Gomez), who's just
trying to survive her first year of high school. Through all
the ups and downs of childhood, Ramona and Beezus learn that
anything's possible when you believe in yourself and rely
on each other.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Let
me first begin by saying that I have not heard of the bestselling
books by Beverly Cleary on which this film is based on. Neither
do I think I would be in the demographic for which the books
are targeted at. Perhaps that’s why this big screen
adaptation by director Elizabeth Allen was such an absolute
bore for me. Yes, I can accept that it’s meant to be
sweet and wholesome and affirm the bond of sisterhood, but
boy I was bored stiff throughout its 104-min duration.
In case you’re equally ignorant like this reviewer was
before the movie, Ramona is the middle sister of the Quimby
family- much like Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s Greg Heffley,
but of the opposite gender- and Beezus her older sister. Like
Greg, Ramona has issues adjusting to life in middle school,
and it doesn’t help that she often has flights of imagination
that make her appear less mature than her classmates, especially
to her teacher (Grey’s Anatomy’s Sandra Oh).
The turning point for her childishness comes when Ramona’s
father Robert (John Corbett) loses his job and the family
is forced to tighten their belts. Ramona starts worrying about
whether the family will lose their house, and whether her
parents’ marriage will eventually break up, so she takes
the proactive step of trying to shore up the family’s
finances- even though her efforts often end up less than helpful.
There’s also some subplot about Beezus’ insecurity
with her name which in turn affects a boy she likes in school;
as well as their nanny Aunt Bea’s (Ginnifer Goodwin)
long-time relationship with a neighbour (Josh Duhamel). But
whether Ramona’s journey of maturity or these other
irrelevant subplots, screenwriter Laurie Craig and Allen keep
things going so genially that you can’t help but wonder
what the point of it all is.
Indeed, you know that things will come to a happy ending,
given that this is a family comedy for the kids- so the least
the filmmakers could have done is to make you care about their
eventual happily-ever-after denouement. But neither Craig
nor Allen do that, and the movie also suffers from a dearth
of genuine comedic moments which made the “Diary of
a Wimpy Kid” series accessible for people of all ages.
Of course, “Ramona and Beezus” probably isn’t
a movie made for all demographics, and one can envision that
its earnestness and wholesomeness will definitely appeal to
parents looking for some good clean entertainment for their
young girls. They will also likely identify with the two lead
stars, Selena Gomez and Joey King, both of whom give spirited
performances. Anyone else, even those of the opposite gender
of equivalent age, will likely find it dull and uninteresting.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Show
and Tell Film School has director Elizabeth Allen
attempt to simplify the process of moviemaking for her young
audience, including the steps of storyboarding and casting.
There are also four Deleted Scenes, including
one more dream sequence where Ramona imagines herself in a
peanut butter commercial. The Gag Reel shows
the generally fun time the cast had filming the movie. For
those who love the books, be sure to check out My
Ramona with Beverly Cleary where the author shares
the inspiration behind her stories and the characters.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Audio
is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, but this is a movie whose
sound is heavy from the front and centre and only the soundtrack
can be heard from the back speakers. Visuals are clean and
colours are dynamic.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Gabriel Chong
Posted
on 9 May 2011
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