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It's such a handle to see a film that families can love, relate to and take something from without it being too melodramatic, too childish, or too religious. "Ramona and Beezus" is a tremendous film that merits to find an audience. There really is something for everyone to enjoy in this truly, truly delightful gem. I'm just going to go out there and say it: Elizabeth Allen's "Ramona and Beezus" is the best film of the summer. It may not be the most visually thrilling ("Inception") or the most complex ("Salt"), but "Ramona and Beezus" is absolutely charming from start to finish. In a age when films about children are laborious to persist, this is a bright, sweet and fun film. The acting is genuinely great from the very human cast. Joey King as Ramona hits every note like a seasoned professional. Her back up from John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Selena Gomez, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel and Sandra Oh is so solid and seamless that you believe this lot is a family. And family is what this film does so right. "Ramona and Beezus" catches in spades what "Where the Wild Things Are" tried so urgently to create: what it feels like to be a misunderstood child. It also deals with modern day family issues like the recession, divorce and dating in ways that never ring false. Sure, the film never gets dark but it also never scants on the feeling.

 

Ramona & Beezus