Charming misadventures of “Ramona and Beezus”

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July 27, 2010

Anonymous The Port Arthur News The Port Arthur News Tue Jul 27, 2010, 10:25 AM CDT

GROVES — Never having read any of Beverly Cleary's young adult novels, I can't tell you if the new movie “Ramona and Beezus” stays true to the story or the spirit of her books. I can report, however, that the film makes for a light and breezy girl-power comedy, filled with a charming central performance and some very imaginative production design. It's an appealing adventure, perfect for young girls, and I imagine, nostalgic mothers looking to reconnect with a beloved book from their youth.

Joey King plays Ramona, an accident-prone 3rd grade girl who's always causing some minor mischief. Parents might wince as they add up the post-Ramona repair bills, but the mayhem is forgivable because we know that Ramona has a good heart. In fact, it's her heart, mixing with her outlandish imagination, which inspires much of the trouble. It turns out that dad (John Corbett) is unemployed and Ramona just wants to help out with the family finances. But no matter how well-intentioned, things never work out in real life quite as well as Ramona had planned them in her head.

Ramona's head provides many of the film's best moments, as she imagines outlandish adventures that are brought to life up on screen. Craft-paper sets suddenly appear out of thin air, providing a perfect look at how a 3rd grader might build scenery, given that the laws of physics aren't a concern. These charming moments proved to be my favorite part of the movie. I only wish that they happened more frequently.

As Ramona, Joey King is a delightful spitfire, coming across as a genuine child with a genuine child's emotions; not one of those preternaturally adult actors still living in a kid's body. Selena Gomez also comes across quite well as the sister who both loves and is embarrassed by her younger sibling. The rest of the adult cast is quite good, but in a supporting capacity.

One of my few critiques of “Ramona and Beezus” is that too much time is spent on some of the adult storylines. As much as I love Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Duhamel, for example, their romance seems a little out of place in the G rated kid adventure.

That's a minor quibble. I may not remember Ramona from my young adult reading list, but I was won over as an adult by her rambunctious charm in this movie. She's a girl with a good heart who marches to the beat of her own drummer, and while I don't expect teens or adults to get too swept away by her tale, younger kids, and especially girls should get a kick out of the endearing misadventures of “Ramona and Beezus.”

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published bi-weekly in “The Port Arthur News” and seen weekly on KFDM-TV and KBOI 2-TV. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kboi2.com.

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