A Plumm Summer

There are many review opportunities that find their way into my email inbox each week; we don’t take them all. But when the opportunity to review a family film that will be premiering this coming weekend showed up, I knew I had to jump at it. "A Plumm Summer" ("With one leap, a boy becomes a man, a brother becomes a friend, and a frog becomes a legend") is the type of film you can watch with your entire family, which is just what we did.

Tonight, we piled into the living room and watched the film together. It was the first non-animated movie in a while that Mr. BBM and I have watched with our kids: Big I, age 7 and Lil C, age 2. "A Plumm Summer" is an independent film and hopes to find a home in the hearts of families across the country, starting April 25th, 26th, and 27th in Birmingham, Alabama.

The film features William Baldwin ("Mick Plumm") and Henry Winkler ("Happy Herb") who has called the movie "the little family film that could." The film also features some adorable kids; the smallest one, Owen Pearse, reminiscent of the little Jerry Maguire kid. He’s just as adorable and maybe even a bit more funny. Told from the perspective of an adult looking back on a summer during his childhood, the film centers around the disappearance of a Superstar Puppet named Froggy Doo, and follows the adventure of these kids (played by Chris J. Kelly, Pearse, and Morgan Flynn) and their families.

The film starts out great and the ending is sweet too. There are some slow moments in the middle with the necessary (and just a bit of unnecessary drama), but that didn’t seem to bother the girls one bit. The little boy in the movie, "Rocky," provided great entertainment for the girls. The always-one-step-behind FBI agents provide some good entertainment for the adults.

It’s not new or earth shattering, but it is a very nice film with a family-friendly story. If I had to compare it to something I’d say there were moments that remind you of "A Christmas Story" set in the summer. With 1968 as its place in time, it can’t help but be endearing.

The film has Dove Foundation’s Family Seal of Approval, was selected as this year’s Heartland Family Movie Event, was SRO at the Cinemagic Children’s Film Festival in Belfast, sold out at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, won the Audience Vote for Best Family Film in Austin and the Audience Vote for Best Picture at the International Family Film Festival last month.

If you live in the Birmingham area and are looking for something fun to do this weekend, take your family to see "A Plumm Summer." Your kids will enjoy the movie and you’ll love that there’s a movie you can finally watch together.

If you don’t live in Birmingham, but do live in other big premiere cities like Los Angeles or Chicago, keep an eye out. "A Plumm Summer" could be coming to a theatre near you very soon!

Because there is finally a nice movie you can watch with your entire family, BBM gives "A Plumm Summer". . .