‘Ramona and Beezus’ Shows Us It’s Alright to be Different By Art Byrd

Movies can make you feel good, bad, or confused. Last week, with “Inception,” I was confused. I needed to see a movie that was simple and made me feel good.

This week, after seeing “Ramona and Beezus,” I feel good. The movie is based on a popular books series by 94-year-old Beverly Cleary.

“Ramona and Beezus” is about a young girl named Ramona who is clearly not like most other kids, thanks to her vivid imagination. She is her own person but doesn’t know it yet. She is played by the wide-eyed cutie Joey King, a TV series and commercial veteran.

What makes the movie good and interesting is that the film doesn’t center on just Ramona and her adventures (or misadventures) but on her family as well, which includes her 15-year-old sister, Beezus, played by Selena Gomez, (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), and their parents, Robert and Dorothy Quimby, played by cool John Corbett and beautiful Bridget Mohanyan. Aunt Bee is played by Ginnifer Goodwin (“He’s Not Into You”), who is very close to Ramona.

The story is heartwarming and timely. In the beginning, we see how close the family is when Mr. Quimby comes home from work and is warmly greeted by the family. But there is a little sibling tension between Ramona and Beezus, who simply get on each other nerves.

Ramona has some situations at school. Her fellow classmates and teacher, Mrs. Meacham, played by Grey’s Anatomy's Sandra Oh, think Ramona is very different.

Then one day, the family’s fortunes change as Mr. Quimby loses his job. Ramona is wondering what is going to happen to her family and their house.

I like the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Quimby didn’t hide the job loss from their children. Ramona wants to help and starts doing odd jobs with strange results. King is adorable as Ramona, with her huge eyes that get bigger when she gets into trouble.

When Aunt Bee tells Ramona that she doesn’t want to be reeled in by Hobart, her high school sweetheart (played by Josh Duhamel) who left her years ago and is back, Ramona is very protective of her aunt. In one incident, Hobart’s truck lands in a garage covered with paint after Ramona accidentally removes a block from the wheel, causing it to roll without brakes.

There is a great scene involving a water fight between Ramona’s family and Hobart’s that ends with a tender moment for both families.

My favorite part of the movie is the relationship between Ramona and Beezus. Beezus is a nickname that came about when Ramona couldn’t say her sister’s real name --Beatrice -- when she was small.

King and Gomez make the movie work. I am fan of Gomez from “Wizards,” where is she is given some snappy comedic lines. In this movie, Gomez is great as the older sister who is annoyed by Ramona but starts to lighten up and give her little sister the strength and compassion to be herself.

King, who I am sure I will end up being a fan of as she does other films, is perfect as Ramona; her actions and situations come from the heart as opposed to doing things in a bratty way, as some child actors often do.

The movie is rated G and is geared towards families with kids in a certain age range. With a cast and storyline that everyone can relate to, “Ramona and Beezus” is a movie for every age and anyone who wants to feel good about family and life.

Edited by Michele Ristich Gatts