Is there a Ramona in every little girl?
That’s what I kept asking myself while watching the preview of Ramona and Beezus, the upcoming movie based on Beverly Cleary’s beloved Ramona books.
Ramona, a fun loving nine-year-old, is not an ordinary girl. She is quite extraordinary. E-x-t-r-a-o-r-d-i-n-a-r-y. What some would call a “complete mess,” is quite defining for Ramona. But somebody else’s mess is someone else’s treasure. I really depend on how you look at it.
For this movie review we had several age-groups in attendance. Each of us had something to say.
Caley, our own fun-loving-soon-to-be-nine-year-old could relate with Ramona from a peer perspective. She gasped with horror as Ramona had an unfortunate egg-incident right before her class photos. Caley has only for the past two years been able to take a picture at school without being bribed, coaxed, and coerced on the last day of make-ups. Not sure where the phobia came from, but she has desperately tried to make up for last time the past two years by planning her outfit and smiling big. So the story line hit a homerun with her.
Collin is almost eleven. Some of the heavier issues covered in the movie are things we talk about at night before bedtime. Like what happens if someone’s parent loses a job, or if two parents divorce? These are things Collin feels fortunate we have not had to deal with directly—but has friends who are dealing with—right now! Then there is the question of life and death. Is there anything more serious on a pre-teen’s mind? Collin loved the humor in the movie, but it was the more serious tones that won. If you are a parent of a child about this age—this movie might seed the conversation for some very important topics.
We also brought grandma with us to see this movie. Grandma is over the age of two-quarters-and-a dime (as we like to say). It’s been awhile since she attended a movie without a Steele Magnolia’s kinda theme. Grandma is also from Sweden, so her English is so-so. Although she didn’t catch every detail of the ending and needed to have a thorough explanation from the grandkids over ice-cream afterward (or maybe just kept the kids busy talking so she could enjoy her cone), she loved the movie as a whole. She compared it to the tales of Maddicken, by world famous author Astrid Lindgren (better known in the US for Pippi Longstocking). Grandma also commented on the young cast’s acting talents as remarkably natural.
Finally there is moi. A mother of three. I am a children’s movie connoisseur. A veteran. I have seen nearly every movie bound, rated G flick since 1997 in one form or the other. And I must agree that this one is a winner. And Cleary makes such a good job at making us see things from Ramona’s perspective. I mean, regardless of how old you get, remember how long you could hang on those money bars? Or how hard we all tried to be pretty, smart, or helpful? And remember how it felt when things did not exactly turn out how we had intended. Besides, as grown-ups, how many times have we gotten upset over a spill or accident without really understanding how it all started? Ramona and Beezus reminds us that each of us are somehow perfectly imperfect. In the end, maybe there isn’t just a Ramona in every little girl—but every big girl too.
For more information
Ramona and Beezus (the movie) coming to theaters July 23, 2010
Ramona, by Beverly Cleary (books)
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