Parents' Guide to

A Plumm Summer

By Nancy Davis Kho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Coming-of-age tale set in 1960s Montana.

Movie PG 2008 99 minutes
A Plumm Summer Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

age 6+

Kids 6 and older embraced it in screenings

Love it. While the film has a few mature themes (Dad drinks, some name calling), these things serve a purpose and a lesson in the film. The movie won awards from the Parents Television Council, Heartland Film Fest, Austin Film Festival, Int'l Family Film Festival, and I believe one other as well... I'm the film's producer so I should remember...

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (2):

The movie hits some wonderful grace notes about the power of love to overcome problems, as well as the importance of forgiveness and redemption. Elliott is a likable kid from the start, and the audience will be rooting for him to find his way as he pedals madly through town trailed by the girl he is too shy to admit he likes, and an almost excruciatingly cute younger brother. The culprits are revealed to the audience before they are revealed to the kids, but that's a minor disappointment in an otherwise sweet tale.

The filmmakers use lush cinematography and a mix of original and oldies music to capture the feel of 1968 small-town Montana. Moments of humor and absurdity, usually in the guise of the two FBI agents assigned to locate Froggy Doo, keep the movie moving at a brisk pace. The relatively benign troubles and triumphs of these country kids, not to mention that the children spend virtually the entire movie outdoors and in action, offer a counterpoint to modern childhood that would be interesting to contrast with kids.

Movie Details

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