“Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer” is a bummer, according to the critics. The critical reviews gave the film a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas audiences gave the film a modest 72%. But what did the critics hate so much about the film? Well, here’s a small sampling.

“You can see that sugar-rush aesthetic at work in the not-suitable-for-adults ‘Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.’ It’s based on the characters from a children’s book series, and made for an independent studio…[v]isually that means lots of distorting wide-angle close-ups, neon-bright colors…and interspersed cartoons, title cards and pop-up on-screen words and visuals. Dramatically, that means a traditional suburban family–but with two utterly idiotic and mostly off-screen parents, a smart-mouthed star who gets away with everything, and a supporting cast of junior weirdos who exist only to get roped into her schemes.”–Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

“Were parents ever this indulgent? Were guardians ever this permissive? Were childhood summers ever this carefree? No, no, and no.”–Bruce Demara, Toronto Star

“‘Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is a diverting flick full of bright colors and lively animation, that is calibrated to synch up with, and only with, the attention span of smaller children.”–Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews

What did you think of the film?