BIG SCREEN: Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer Revieux (Rated PG)

You know how so many movies these days manage to bridge the age gap, appealing to kids and parents alike? Some of the jokes and references are lobbed way over the kids’ heads, just to entertain the adults. Uh, yeah. This ain’t one of those movies.

Judy Moody (Jordana Beatty) is a third grader who’s determined to make this the best summer ever, unlike all the previous boring ones. She devises a competitive chart, complete with a point system, to encourage her posse of friends to strive for a “thrilladelic” summer. To her dismay, her best pals and even her parents leave town, and she seems doomed to another season of utter boredom. When her wacky and beautiful Aunt Opal (Heather Graham – oh, Rollergirl, how far ye have fallen) shows up to babysit, things start to look up. But can Judy actually keep this summer from turning into a total bummer?

Unfortunately for parents, Judy’s is a world of precocious, over-enunciating kids (except for her brother, Stink, who has a thick speech impediment), a hefty supply of poo and puke jokes, and Steve Urkel (aka, Jaleel White) as a teacher. Sure, he’s all grown up, but how can we ever see past that lasting impression? Highly. Annoying. BUT, it’s also a world where a little kid constantly uses her imagination to entertain herself. It’s kind of refreshing that her list of thrills involves stuff like walking a homemade tightrope, riding a local rollercoaster with no hands, and camping in a tent in the backyard in hopes of catching Big Foot. Ah, simplicity and ingenuity. Remember summers like that?

So, while it ain’t the universally appealing Shrek or Kung Fu Panda, the kids all seemed to dig it. And I guess it’s our job as parents to occasionally take one for the team, right? As we left the theater, my son actually asked if we could see it again. Wow, that’s a ringing endorsement. I smiled, tousled his hair and said, “No way, dude.”

I’m no martyr, people. I said take ONE for the team.

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