Movie Review: A Plumm Summer

A few weeks ago Doug and I implemented "Family Movie Night" because we wanted to spend more time together. With busy schedules it's difficult for us to really hang out with each other and Dawson, and we realize we have to make an effort. Not only are we sharing quality time, we aren't subjected to watching SpongeBob SquarePants over and over again.

It's rare to find a heartfelt yet funny family flick. Most of the movies we choose have over-the-top, complex but entertaining plots intended to hold our interest as well as keep Dawson occupied (think Disney's The Country Bears where the bears actually talk and walk on their hind legs. Yeah. Over-the-top. I know.)

When I was asked to view A Plumm Summer, an independent, family film opening this weekend, I jumped at the chance.

Based on true events, A Plumm Summer is set in small-town Montana in 1968, the story of brothers Elliott and Rocky Plumm who go head-to-head with the FBI when their town's beloved TV star and puppet, Forggy Doo, is kidnapped (err...frognapped?) and held for ransom.

Generations of parents and children in Montana had grown up with Happy Herb and Froggy Doo Show, and little Rocky, Froggy Doo's biggest fan, is devastated when the marionette disappears during a live show in front of hundreds of fans.

Elliot, age 13, feels he has outgrown the show and no longer believes in Froggy Doo. His annoyance with five-year-old Rocky's love for his favorite froggy causes some tension between the brothers, but it's clear that Elliot loves Rocky, he just thinks he's too mature to show it.

While watching A Plumm Summer I felt as though I was transported to the friendly town of Peaks View. It reminded me of the small town my mother grew up in; a town where everyone knows each other and comes together in moments of despair or tragedy.

Elliot's family lives in the house that his mother, Roxie, grew up in. (This made me smile because my husband and I bought the house I grew up in from my parents, and I understood the sentimental feelings Roxie showed throughout the movie.)

Roxie loves her children dearly, but she is so busy trying to keep the bills paid, her husband sober, and her marriage together that she often has no time for Elliot.

It was heartbreaking to watch as Elliott struggled to find validation from his father, Mick, an ex-boxer. Mick treats his oldest son as though he is invisible, and secretly blames the boy for his not being able to go to the Olympics because Roxie became pregnant with Elliot.

When Froggy Doo goes missing Elliott seemingly has no interest in the case, until new neighbor Haley moves into the empty lot next door. Haley, a Trixie Belden fan and junior sleuth, joins Elliot and Rocky in an adventure to find the missing frog.

The relationship between Elliot and Rocky is so endearing and I found myself misty-eyed several times. What I most loved about this movie is that Dawson was captivated by little Rocky and the antics of Sport, Rocky and Elliot's golden retriever. Even my husband, world's toughest movie critic, found the movie charming and sweet. Now that's saying something.

A Plumm Summer premiere's this weekend, April 25, 26, and 27, in theaters across California as well as in Alabama, Minnesota and Montana. A list of theater locations can be found here.

I highly recommend this remarkable film. A successful opening weekend of A Plumm Summer means that more families will have the opportunity to see this move in more theaters across the country.

Hopefully, Hollywood will discover that charming movies like this one are in short supply and will start investing more time and money into making quality films with heartfelt stories that appeal to families.