Ramona & Beezus- Mommyhood Review

Remember HERE when I mentioned that I got to go see an advanced press screening of Ramona and Beezus? Let me tell you about it.

ps. I know it's been a short while, but I was asked to hold off on this review until after the movie premiered. :D

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Allied Integrated Marketing Group to attend the press screening of R&B down at Pacific Place. How exciting!! They wanted lil ole' me to go see this movie and review it on my blog! Sweet! I'd grown up reading a lot of books and clearly remember reading Ramona the Pest. As the oldest of two girls, I could relate. My little sister, though closer in age than the two main characters, drove me insane! But I also could relate to Ramona because it always seemed as if I was always the "different" one. More on that later... Did you know that the best-selling books penned by Beverly Cleary are still going strong with over 30 million books sold AND counting?! Amazing!

The movie stars Selena Gomez as Beezus and Joey King as Ramona. I'd heard of Selena Gomez from her popularity on the Disney Channel and I've heard a few of her songs as well. In fact, I have two little cousins [Endia and Ariyah] who just about DIED when I told them that I was going to do a phone interview with her later in the week, as they are really big fans. Truthfully, I'd never heard of Joey King, but click on the link and you can see that she's been pretty busy on the acting circuit. Other actors in the movie include Ginnifer Goodwin, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Josh Duhamel and Sandra Oh, to name a few.

In the movie, you get to see Ramona's personality literally jump off the page and come to life. You see her big imagination and her sense of wonder. You get to see her crazy ideas and all that goes wrong with them. She's the middle child and some would say she suffers from "middle child syndrome". She's not as responsible or "pretty" as her older sister and the things she does aren't as cute as her youngest sister. When life as she knows it is up in shambles and taking a turn for the worst, she tries to help in anyway that she can. Of course, her ideas don't always turn out so great!

The Quimbys are exactly the family I envision when I think about my own family. Lots of love, communication, and a sense of togetherness. I liked that Beezus didn't have her head down in one of the latest electronic gadgets, texting away. I liked that Ramona didn't spend a ton of time playing video games. I liked that they had family dinners and were open with each other. My own family didn't always have sit down dinners, but we talked a LOT. I told my mom about the boy I had a crush on and then got embarrassed if my dad had anything to say about it. :D When I think about what's important to me as C and I create our own little family...I want to be like the Quimbys.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was the water fight. Growing up, we ALWAYS had water fights. We'd surprise my dad with them on any given day. It was nice to see it depicted on the big screen.

Not only did I get to see the movie in advance, I was able to interview the stars with other bloggers. I have to say that the two ladies are super nice and seem incredibly down to the earth for being such mega stars! The other bloggers asked some fabulous questions and overall, I felt like we were able to see into their lives a little bit. I don't think the big heads behind the movie could've picked a better pair of actors for the lead role.

This was Selena Gomez' first movie role and when I asked if she preferred tv or movies, she credited Wizards of Waverly Place for getting her to this point, but she did enjoy movies and would continue to do so if the roles were the right fit for her.

Joey King is the PERFECT Ramona. Not just on screen, but over the phone too! She's just as bright and full of life as she was on screen. I asked what advice she would give to other girls who feel like the "middle child". Brilliantly, she said that family is family and they're going to love you no matter who you are and what you do.

I think I did put my foot in my mouth and show my age when I mentioned that my two little cuzzos are big fans of Selena. Eeek. Can't I just keep it together for a 20minute phone conference?

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this movie. It's rated G and it's perfect for families of all shapes and sizes and from all different backgrounds. Don't walk, RUN and see this movie. I promise you'll enjoy yourself. I even shed a tear! Bring the whole family. And then go home and read the Ramona books together!

Here's  the official trailer for the movie! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: My opinion rocks. In exchange for my wicked thoughts, I was given free tickets to this press screening. I received no other compensation. My thoughts are my own and are not influenced in any way, shape, or form by Allied Integrated Marketing, 20TH Century FOX, or anyone else connected to the movie. Like I said, my opinion rocks.