I took my 3 year old son and 7 year old daughter to see this. We all enjoyed it. It was really over my son's head, but there was enough physical comedy to keep him interested. My daughter loved it, as well as her aunt and I did, however, the romance was too much for her. She kept hiding her eyes when the romantic/kissing scenes were on and I was glad. I am not ready for her to show an interest in that, as I am sure many mother's of seven year olds aren't. Great movie overall though, and I was sooooo happy to have something good come out that was rated G.
A good first theater experience for kindergarteners!
Our 5 year old daughter is very sensitive to scary themes and intense drama (losing a parent, getting lost, etc.) and this was a great first theater experience for her. Fairly entertaining for adults too!
A few specific comments on things to be aware of:
- There are a few uses of "dumb" and "stupid" but overall we were okay with the language
- There are two romances going on in the movie, one between her Aunt Beatrice and Howie's Uncle Hobart and one between Beezus and Henry. Both are handled in very innocent and age-appropriate ways.
- The girls are home alone when they find that their beloved cat has died. They don't actually show a close-up of the dead cat but they do imply that the cat has been buried and they show a homemade grave market and lots of tears. Again, we thought this was an age-appropriate handling of what happens when a pet dies but it might be something to discuss with your child before the movie, especially if you have pets or if you have recently lost a pet.
- There are several scenes where Ramona is imagining and gets into "larger than life" situations. Our daughter had to be reminded that this was her imagination and not things that were actually happening.
- The theme of the movie is actually a very nice one - that it is okay to be different - and this is articulated by a teenage Beezus. We liked that Beezus was pretty but not over the top glamorous. Beezus was the character that our daughter was most in awe of and we appreciated that she was overall a very positive kid who finds her sister annoying but also clearly loves her.
- True to the books, which were written in the 70s and 80s, there is very little cultural diversity in the film. I think a few kids in the school scenes are ethnicities other than white but none of the main characters are.
Also, we have read the first two Ramona books out loud to our daughter and she enjoyed finding parts of the movie that were the same as the book and parts that were different. For example, in the movie she is a third grader but some of her experiences actually happened in the book written when she was in kindergarten.
I loved these books as a child, and frankly wasn't expecting much from this movie (the book's always better than the movie, right?). I was very pleasantly surprised. This movie basically took the great moments from all of the Ramona books and combined them.
Joey King captured the essence of Ramona quite well. Selena Gomez was just a bit too glamorous as Beezus, but she had good moments. John Corbett (Chris from Northern Exposure) was absolutely perfect as Mr. Quimby. He was a very good choice.
This movie was entertaining for both myself and my daughter. She appreciated all of the Ramona-esque antics, and I appreciated the relationships among the adults in the film.
I'm usually a stickler about not letting my daughter watch teen-romance type shows, but I felt that any kissing in this movie was wholly appropriate (related to a newly engaged couple, and a quick peck among teens). The self-proclaimed "love life" of Beezus is a very minor sub-plot, and is innocent in the way that teen crushes should be. The final scene shows Beezus setting some very good boundaries, which I think makes her character a good role model for young girls.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable movie. We'll be purchasing this one, and we don't buy a lot of movies.
Very refreshing to see a movie featuring a girl acting her age! Ramona is a spunky, imaginative child that my daughter could relate to (not being the princessy/hannah montana type). While it touched on some issues that can cause anxiety for children (divorce, losing your house/job in a tough economy), it did it in a way that was reassuring in the end. Also, it seems that every movie has a mandatory scary/emotionally traumatic-devastating scene in it, and this one didn't (at least not that my daughter reacted to, and she's very sensitive about those things). The story was fun, the cast terrific, and I really enjoyed it too. I also particularly loved the scenes where Ramona's imagination takes over and they bring it to life - just the sort of thing a girl of that age would do! Fantastic!
This was a pretty wholesome movie. I liked how the characters were all dressed in a fashion forward way, but not "sexy." The movie did a great job of blending the book material together. Based on other reviews, I was able to talk to my kids ahead of time and explain that there were some "imagination" scenes in the movie that weren't real and also explain that Pickypicky the cat dies. Really appreciated that feedback and my girls loved it.
Perfect interpretation of the books - as far as I remember...
It was absolutely fabulous. I went with my daughter (7) and my mom (67) - three generations who loved it and needed tissues with Picky-Picky died. I have not read the books for decades, but the flavor of them was definitely captured in this movie.
Selena Gomez is perfect as Beezus, and I'm relieved to see that she can play a character other than bratty Alex Russo - it will give us a good lesson in how actors do not equal their characters. Joey King is a great actress for her age; often they are so stiff at that stage.
Overall it was a great movie with a great message and I am so glad we made it the end of a Girls' Morning Out.
I'm a mom who saw this movie with my two daughters, ages 9 and 5. We all loved it! There are some emotional parts and we all cried and then talked about it during the drive home. Be prepared and bring tissues just in case...especially if you are a pet owner. There is a small part too in which the older sister tried to scare the younger sister with a story just before bedtime. So just because of that, I don't think it would be good to take anyone younger than 5. I thought the topics were handled very well though. A great family movie! I think even my husband would like it. I want to see it again and plan to purchase when it is released for home viewing.
The Father's role is a wonderful model. The female roles are embarassing. No depth. Long drawn out negative saga. "Bullying because I think differently" "My sister is perfect" "ugh messages." Disappointing and un-engaging. There's more to life. Good acting.
ok let me just say i know i put it was not good for kids under 11 but its fine if and only if they are not sencetive to the following subjects dad loses job parents almost seperat the pet dies and tne young girl runs away but other than those tough subjects it is a great funny and just all around fun family movie that i will surley watch agin and mabye agin after that lol bye now
If you love Ramona books, you will not be disappointed!
A great movie. We watched it twice in a matter of a few days. It is funny and wholesome. The worst things that happen are that the cat dies (nothing scary is shown) and they say "stupid" a few times. My kids both loved it, as did my husband. I recommend it!
Very cute movie for kids and adults! This movie show's how close sisters are no matter what comes along.I put 8+ because 8+ is the audience that would enjoy and understand it most!
After seeing the movie trailers I decided to take my 5yr old and 7yr old, both girls to see it. Went with low expectations thinking that it was just another Commercial Hollywood $$$ maker but was very pleased with how well the story was told. It took me back to my childhood and reminded me why I love my daughters so much. In these seriously troubling times was a breathe of fresh air and now going to buy the books for them.
Our entire family loved this movie! I really can't think of one thing that I didn't like. A great movie based on some of the best in kids literature. The movie, like the books, portrays the way young children can perceive the world in ways that parents have long ago forgotten. Definitely one for the DVD library!