OK for kids 6+
Beloved book girl comes to life in sweet, kid-friendly tale.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this adaptation of Beverly Cleary's classic children's books about impulsive, imaginative Ramona Quimby and her older sister Beezus (played by tween favorite Selena Gomez) is a sweet, age-appropriate story about family and friendship. The plot revolves around Ramona's father losing his job, which may resonate all too well for some families in today's economy, but the tone is light overall, and the ultimate message is that believing in yourself and the people you love can help overcome any obstacle. There are a few sad moments relating to a pet's death, as well as some mild flirting and kissing between both adult couples and a pair of teenagers. Ramona gets into her share of mischief, but she always intends well, and she apologizes when she makes mistakes.
- Families can talk about Ramona's behavior. Does she ever mean to get in trouble/make mistakes? Why does it sometimes happen anyway?
- What makes Ramona different from other kids? Kids: How are you different from your friends and classmates? Does that ever feel like a bad thing? How do you handle that?
- Is Ramona and Beezus' relationship believable? How well do you get along with your sibling(s)? What are the good and bad parts about having a brother and/or sister?
- Fans of the Ramona books can talk about how the movie compares to what they've read. Which do you like better? Why?
The good stuff
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Educational value: The movie is intended to entertain rather than educate, but kids will take away important lessons about friendship, family, and self-confidence.
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Messages: The movie is full of positive messages about the importance of family, believing in yourself, and being true to who you are. It embraces individuality and imagination and suggests that it's never too late to do what you love or be a better version of yourself.
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Role models: Sure, she's unpredictable and impetuous, but Ramona Quimby is also loyal, imaginative, hardworking, passionate, creative, and enthusiastic. Her family and friends are ultimately supportive and loving, even if they do get frustrated with her sometimes. Ramona's parents -- especially her dad -- stay upbeat despite tough circumstances; her dad offers an example of someone finding a silver lining within what seems like a pretty dark cloud.
What to watch for
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Violence and scariness: Some slapstick falls, bumps, and bruises. A few scenes in which Ramona imagines scary things happening (thanks mostly to her sister's suggestions...). A brief kitchen fire. A pet's death is sad but handled gently.
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Sexy stuff: A few kisses and embraces between adult couples. One teenage kiss (as well as some tentative flirting). A rekindled romance is one of the movie's key subplots.
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Language: A few insults like "stupid" and "jerk." When Ramona wants to say a bad word, she chooses "guts."
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults toast with champagne.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Ramona and Beezus by Shawnii
What a great movie it was so much better then i expected
5
Cute story by dg9008
To be honest, I have never read the books. I went to see it because my girlfriend did and wanted me to go see it with her. At first I had my doubts about the movie and thought it was going to be all in Ramona's imagination since it was how it began, but it tured out to be a great story. It revolves around her father losing his job and money being tight in their household and Ramona trying to help and fix everything to help but makes things worse. In a way, I think there i a story where we can all relate to in this story. I recommend this movie to anyone of any age.
5
Outstanding by timmyte93
The movie was just great if you are very emotional like I am this movie will just make you release all of your emotions all in one movie. Everyone did an excellent job and the movie sure was EXTRAORDINARY!!! I say this would have to be Selena Gomez's best work so far and there's still more waiting to come.
4
sweet little movie by diet pepsi
well i watched this movie with my little sister and i thought it was a pretty sweet little movie actualy just be careful with some sencitive subjects like there is a part where the family pet dies ramona also has a rather graphic imagenation which leads to a seen were she imagens the family house getting pulled from under their feet and the parents almost seperate and ramona runs away from home for a little while so due to these things i do not recomend this movie for sencitive viewers of any age group but mostly not sencitive kids
5
Ramona and Beezus by frekygirle
I loved this movie! Very clever, the little girl that played Ramona was hilarious, and the supporting cast was amazing! Loved it!
4
Excellent, but surprisingly sad by carleedr
The characters of Ramona, Beezus and their family and friends are perfectly captured in this delightful, laugh out loud movie. However, I took my 4 and 8 year old daughters, and end up consoling them over very difficult topics addressed: divorce, job loss, pet death, losing people, running away. We sobbed! So, while I loved this film and plan to see it again, I caution parents to be prepared to help their children deal with some very tough issues.
5
Great Movie for Children AND Adults by abfab
I think I read all of the Beverely Cleary books as a child. I loved them. I wasn't sure what to expect from the movie. It was pretty good. My daughter liked it so much she has asked to see it again. I thought there was something in the movie for children and adults to relate to. I don't remember the story fully but my daughter said the movie was a bit different form the actual story. One example is that Aunt B. did not get married in the book.
I'm so glad to have a G-rated movie for my children to see that was actually pretty good.
5
A Must-See for Ramona Quimby Lovers! by sweetpots
I absolutely loved this movie!!! Growing up, I have read all the books in the Ramona series over and over again!
That being said, I was very skeptical about seeing this movie; I did not want the beloved series besmirched by this movie. My 10 year old daughter wanted to see it for three reasons: 1, she knew I LOVED the books, 2, I have tried to get her to read any of the books for a couple years now, and 3, Selena Gomez (duh!) However, I was very pleasantly surprised!
The movie covered themes and events across the entire series. Joey King, the actress portraying Ramona was perfect for this role. Her myriads of authentic and hilarious facial expressions really made this main character come to life. The rest of the cast (including Miss Gomez) portrayed their characters equally well.
All-in-all, "Ramona and Beezus" was a delightful, heartfelt, and funny movie!
4
A surprisingly engaging film by Rockin_Dad
Hats off to the good casting that kept me engaged throughout. And to those who say this isn't for younger kids due to mature subject matter, I agree!! The books are geared for second graders, which means don't take your pre-schooler unless you are prepared to explain some heavy concepts. I think this movie will play well with the 7-9 crowd (my kids are in this range), and possibly teens who have a younger sibling and can relate to Selena Gomez as Beezus. Ramona is expertly and credibly played by Joey King, who along with Gomez show a wide range of palpable emotions. Which is good considering the weighty stuff they have to handle. The low-budget special effect dream/fantasy sequences were perfect when you consider they were concocted in Ramona's overactive imagination. No expensive CGI needed to convey a child's daydreams. Our whole family enjoyed and we would definitely go to a sequel to see the continuing adventures.
5
didn't expect it to be that good by jchanle
I took my daughter and her friend who are both 9 yrs old and we all enjoyed it! It was very unexpected to see it done so well. We all read the book and the characters were done well. We cried, laughed and had an enjoyable time. In fact my daughter is actually Ramona! Need to get the DVD.