Four stars (out of five). Rating: G, and suitable for all ages
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 7.23.10
Buy DVD: Ramona and Beezus
• Buy Blu-Ray: Ramona & Beezus [Blu-ray]
Beverly Cleary, still with us at a spry 94 years old, must be quite pleased by Ramona and Beezus.
I was optimistic going in, because Walden Media has a solid reputation when it comes to respectful adaptations of beloved children's books; consider the track record that includes Holes
, Because of Winn-Dixie
, Hoot
, Charlotte's Web
and Bridge to Terabithia
. |
| Ramona (Joey King, foreground) leads the charge when a backyard water fight grows to include the folks next door, much to the delight of, from left, her Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin), older sister Beezus (Selena Gomez) and mother (Bridget Moynahan). And if neighborhood relations aren't this much fun in real life, they should be! |
And yes, director Elizabeth Allen and scripters Laurie Craig and Nick Pustay have done a marvelous job with Ramona and Beezus, lifting various incidents from books going all the way back to 1952's Henry and Beezus
. (Consider Cleary's impressive literary longevity; Ramona's World
was released in 1999 ... nearly half a century later!)But the faithfulness of this adaptation goes beyond characters and incidents; Allen has captured the very tone and atmosphere of these cherished books. It's almost as if Louis Darling's original illustrations have come to life; indeed, young star Joey King looks very much like Darling's drawings of Ramona "the pest" — the sobriquet frequently included as part of the little girl's name — down to her favorite red rubber boots.
In many ways, this charming film will feel like the equivalent of time travel, particularly for older readers who grew up as Cleary was writing her books.
Which begs the key question, of course: Can a movie this sweet and wholesome survive amid the noisy flash of today's so-called "family films," which rely too frequently on slapstick humor and fart jokes?
Boy, I'd sure like to think so, because we need more movies like this one.
