In the spirit of being honest, I mostly forgot about Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer until a clip of it popped up on my For You page on TikTok. I recognized it vaguely but couldn’t remember the name of the movie before I went to the comment section. Once I heard the name, a lot of disjointed scenes from the film came to mind. However, the image that stuck out in my mind was Judy Moody’s Mega-Rare Not Bummer Summer Dare. While I didn’t remember the very extra title, I remembered the super decked out poster board Judy decorated to keep track of the group’s summer activities, which earn them Thrill Points. The list of dares was Judy’s plan on how to have the best summer ever. Unfortunately for Judy, her best friends Amy and Rocky are going out of town for the summer to Borneo and circus camp respectively and she’s stuck with her own friend Frank, little brother Stink and Aunt Opal. Opal inspires Judy to turn the Dare list into a competition between friends to see who can get to 100 Thrill Points first and have the best summer ever, a challenge that is the premise of the movie.

Something I’d forgotten about and found myself enjoying was the sprinkle of animations into the largely live-action movie. They’re mostly animations of Judy’s imagination like finding Big Foot and seeing her teacher in Antarctica, but they’re reminiscent of Lizzie McGuire, a classic TV show from the early 2000’s. If you know, you know. The vivid animations add to the characterization of Judy as a wildly imaginative person. The bright colors and overall chaotic feel of the movie remind me of my summers spending my days outside running around with my neighbors till dinnertime. I might use this word too freely, but it’s really nostalgic. I feel like they don’t make movies like this anymore. Which might be because technology aside from Judy’s computer to email Amy and Rocky, is largely absent from the movie. Judy can’t spend her summer on her phone, she’s gotta spend it actually doing something, like surfing or walking a tightrope across her river. 

This movie has some great messages. Judy ended up having a pretty killer staycation. Her pals help her see that her summer is what she makes of it and obsessing over points and lists does nothing but suck the fun out of summer. Judy’s initial plans to spend her summer locked in her room sulking do nothing but make her miss the ice cream truck. When Judy puts herself out there, she ends up having the time of her life making hats out of trash bin lids with Opal and finding an abandoned amusement park. Judy Moody is the perfect movie for anyone sulking and overspending their summer at home. The movie itself will brighten anyone’s mood and inspire them to make the best out of their summer.