Yesterday my show in Romeoville got rained out and I was suddenly left with a free day. The idea of spending it in my pajama’s dozing was extremely appealing to me, but not so much to my children who were getting antsy already at 830am. So instead of lying around we quickly got ourselves together and headed up to the Evanston Century Theatre to join MJ Tam, Nancy Loo and some of the Chicago Moms for a screening of the new movie Ramona and Beezus, sponsored by Tide with Acti-lift. I am so glad we did!
Ramona and Beezus was easily the nicest family movie I have seen in longer than I can actually remember. It was a G rated movie that wasn’t dumbed down or lacking. It was just a nice, loving movie with ups and downs just like real life. The movie is inspired by the best selling book series of the same name written by Beverly Cleary. The story is all about Ramona, (played by the dynamic Joey King), the middle child in a middle class family who just wants to find a way to live life less in the middle and more outside the perimeter. She wants be original, extraordinary, and downright “terrifical”, (her very own word that she feels she should have every right to introduce into vocabulary). All of which she finds hard to do in the big shadow of her straight A older sister Beatrice, (played with great warmth by Selena Gomez), and the little shadow of her adorable baby sister Roberta, played with glee by twins Aila McCubbing and Zanti McCubbing). So Ramona works very hard to find the sun so she can cast her own “terrifical” shadow on the world.
All of the antics that take place in the movie are organic to the story and appropriately propel it forward. Ramona’s family life feels genuine. The interactions between Ramona and her sisters, her parents, (played with care by Bridget Moynahan and John Corbett), her Aunt Beatrice, (played beautifully by Ginnifer Goodwin), and her Aunt’s estranged boyfriend, (played remarkably understated by Josh Duhamel), are familiar to the audience, which is comforting. They have fights, they have doubts, but they also have laughter and they have love. The achievement of that balance in the face of struggles and hardship is a great lesson of the movie and one that will serve young audience members well as a take away. We learn from Ramona’s family that you are never too old to follow your dreams, and you are never to young to help someone fulfill them. But sometimes what you are looking for is not what you find, but what you find is what you truly needed all along. Life is funny and tricky that way.
This movie, though G, is not for all ages. In order to tell the story right you have to take the time, which may leave your preschoolers and toddlers fidgety. My 7 and 9 year old’s did very well. They were completely engaged in the story and had to fight back tears just as I did, (rather unsuccessfully I might add). You don’t have to be familiar with the book series to appreciate the movie. However, after seeing the movie you are sure to want to check the series out and continue to share in the World that is Ramona’s. And it’s a pretty terrifical World if I do say so myself. Make no mistake, Ramona and Beezus is extraordinary.
SMILE On!
ML
Miss Lori can be found Musing from her Minivan at MissLori.TV , Wearetherealdeal.com , YoungChicagonista , ChicagoMomsBlog , and ChicagoMoms.com. She is the Chicago Family Entertainment Blogger for Examiner.com and a Discussion Leader for MomsLikeMeChicago. You can also see her Activating to Be Great at Miss Lori’s CAMPUS on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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