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A Plumm Summer
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Wikipedia article
'A Plumm Summer' is a 2007 adventure-family film directed by Caroline Zelder. It stars Owen Pearce, Chris Massoglia (appearing under the name "Chris J. Kelly"), Morgan Flynn, William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, and Lisa Guerrero, and is narrated by Jeff Daniels. The film follows a teenage boy, his young brother, and a new-to-town teenage girl as they try to find a marionette from a local television show which has been stolen and held for ransom. Meanwhile, the brothers' father struggles with alcoholism and their mother tries to hold her marriage together.
Plot
The film is based on a real event that occurred in 1968 in Billings, Montana, the hometown of screenwriter T. J. Lynch.[http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2006/08/26/newsstate/hjjdjbhdjjjafe.txt Kemmick, Ed. "Who Snatched Froggy Doo? Brother of 'Kidnapper' Spills the Beans 40 Years After Abduction."] 'Montana Standard.' August 26, 2006.[http://www.helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_494e19c3-adb1-5059-a2fb-66e144087bd6.html Easterling, Camden. "Frog Kidnapping Mystery Makes 'Plumm' Fun Film."] 'Associated Press.' June 24, 2006.
A popular locally produced children's television show, 'Happy Herb & Froggy Doo,' features magician Happy Herb (Henry Winkler) and his wisecracking marionette sidekick, Froggy Doo. Froggy Doo is stolen and held for ransom, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is called in to investigate. Elliott Plumm (Chris Massoglia) used to watch the show, but now feels he is too grown up to do so any longer. His five-year-old brother, Rocky, is a 'Froggy Doo' fan, however. Their father, Mick Plumm (William Baldwin), is a recovering alcoholic and unemployed ex-boxer who believes Elliott's birth prevented him from going to the Olympic Games 12 years earlier. Mick's emotionally distant relationship with Elliott is causing Elliott to become emotionally troubled. Their mother, Roxie Plumm (Lisa Guerrero), is the only breadwinner in the family, and keeping her husband sober and attending to her job means she has little time for her children.
Elliott shows little interest in the kidnapping. Shortly thereafter, however, Haley Dubois (Morgan Flynn) and her father arrive in their run-down mobile home and move in next door. Haley's father is the new deputy sheriff in town, and Haley is entranced by the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Froggy Doo. Elliott quickly begins to fall in love with Haley, and soon he agrees to help Haley and Rocky find Froggy Doo in order to win Haley's heart. The three kids have to find the marionette before the two bumbling FBI agents, Hardigan (Peter Scolari) and Brinkman (Rick Overton) can do so. Elliott, Haley, and Rocky's list of suspects include the local bully, a store clerk, and Happy Herb's wife Viv (Brenda Strong). As the kids pursue the case, Elliott and Rocky's brotherly bond strengthens, and Elliott realizes he might not only win back the love of his father but provide his family with the substantial reward money and help his parents' marriage, too.
Cast
* Jeff Daniels as "The Narrator"
* William Baldwin as "Mick Plumm"
* Henry Winkler as "Happy Herb" and the voice of "Froggy Doo"
* Lisa Guerrero as "Roxie Plumm"
* Chris Massoglia (appearing as Chris J. Kelly) as "Elliott Plumm"
* Owen Pearce as "Rocky Plumm"
* Morgan Flynn as "Haley Dubois"
* Brenda Strong as "Viv, Herb's Wife"
* Tim Quill as "Wayne Dubois"
* Peter Scolari as "Agent Hardigan"
* Rick Overton as "Agent Brinkman"
* Richard Riehle as "Art Bublin"
* Clint Howard as "Binky the Clown"
Production
T.J. Lynch grew up in Billings, where the real-life 'Happy Herb and Froggy Doo' show originated, and watched the show as a child. Lynch used the kidnapping of Froggy Doo as the basis for a screenplay, and interviewed Herb McAllister (the actor who played Happy Herb and provided Froggy Doo's voice) to gain background information for the script. Lynch and McAllister agreed to a contract which gave exclusive story rights to Lynch and permitted the use of the original Froggy Doo character design in the final film. Lynch contacted Caroline Zelder, a director/producer friend of his, and Zelder agreed to produce the film. Work on the script took roughly two-and-a-half to three years.[http://www.helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_21c582f7-1fb9-5b32-9fbf-69a14ec76828.html "'Plumm Summer' Filming to Begin Next Month."] 'Associated Press.' June 11, 2006.
The budget was initially set at $3.5 million. A foreign film financing company agreed to provide financial backing for the picture, but pulled out just weeks after casting of the major leads was complete. Actor Lisa Guerrero and Scott Erickson (Guerrero's husband) formed Home Team Productions and partnered with Zelder and producer Frank Antonelli's company, Fairplay Pictures, to finance the film.[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/25/plummsummer/ Kerr, Euan. "Former Twins Pitcher Finds A New Career in the Movies."] 'Minnesota Public Radio.' April 25, 2008."William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, Brenda Strong, Lisa Guerrero, Chris Kelly, Morgan Flynn and Owen Pearce Are Teaming to Star in the Indie Pic 'A Plumm Summer'." 'Daily Variety.' July 27, 2006. Guerrero and her husband received executive producer credit on the film. The film was Guerrero's first film role.[http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=61365 Ferrarin, Elena. "Guerrero Talks About Her First 'Plumm' Role."] 'Chicago Daily Herald.' October 20, 2007. Erickson pitched the final game of his baseball career at Yankee Stadium in New York City, boarded a plane, and was producing the film just days later.[http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/17865419.html Rand, Michael. "Film Is A Curve Ball."] 'Minneapolis Star Tribune.' April 25, 2008. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer had a small role in the film as Sheriff Strunk.[http://www.montanaforum.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=5895&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 McKee, Jennifer. "Governor A Real Trouper, It Seems."] 'Montana Forum.' August 17, 2006. The real-life "Happy Herb," Herb McAllister, also had a cameo role in the film.
The producers considered several states in the United States as well as locations in Canada for the production, but chose Montana over South Carolina after receiving support from the governor, state financial incentives, and encouragement from freelance movie production workers in the state.[http://www.helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_9ccf159e-b183-5efa-9c31-8a06138133d2.html "Gov, Filmmakers in Talks About Montana Movie."] 'Associated Press.' May 3, 2006. The picture was Zelder's first as a director. Filming began in July 2006, and lasted 35 days. The production was filmed in and around Bozeman and Livingston.
Release
'A Plumm Summer' screened at a number of film festivals around the world (including the Heartland Film Festival[http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=26182 "Film Festival Concludes With 22,000 Attendees."] 'Inside INdiana Business.' October 30, 2007. and Chicago International Children's Film Festival) and won several awards,[https://archive.today/20130117111009/http://www.al.com/entertainment/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/120911136445020.xml&coll=2 "Birmingham One of 4 Cities to Open Family Film 'Plumm Summer'."] 'Birmingham News.' April 25, 2008. but the picture was unable to find a major American studio willing to release the family-friendly film. Fairplay Pictures eventually self-distributed the picture on 58 screens"'Baby Mama' Legit at the Box Office." 'The Hollywood Reporter.' April 27, 2008."'Baby,' 'Kumar' Vie for Box Office." 'Variety.' April 24, 2008. in 10 cities in the United States on April 20, 2008. Cities in the limited release included Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Birmingham, and some towns in Montana. The film's opening weekend box office receipts totalled $60,668, a "thin" $1,046 per venue.
Nonetheless, the self-distribution strategy led several major motion picture companies to express interest in releasing the film on DVD. Paramount Pictures won the right to do so, and released the DVD in North America on May 5, 2009.
A sequel, 'A Plumm Summer Adventure,' and possibly a third "Plumm" movie were planned.
Critical reception
Critics gave the film very mixed reviews. 'The Hollywood Reporter' wrote, "This family film is willing to tackle important issues such as burgeoning sexuality, alcoholism and a troubled home life but does so in a bland and unconvincing story." However, the film's technical qualities were praised. Both 'The Hollywood Reporter' and the 'St. Paul Pioneer Press' felt the story was slow and contrived."'70s-Style Family Melodrama Offers Hugs But Little Depth." 'St. Paul Pioneer Press.' April 25, 2008. The 'Los Angeles Times' called the film flawed, and placed the blame squarely on the screenplay for not knowing whether to depict a Disney-esque innocent adventure or a real world that confronted a teenager's emerging sexuality, a father's alcoholism, and the break-up of a marriage.Olsen, Mark. "It's Plum Refreshing, But 'Plumm' Is Flawed Too." 'Los Angeles Times.' April 28, 2008. The 'Deseret News' called the film "hokey" and felt the direction and some of the performances were amateurish.[http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700226175,00.html Vice, Jeff. "'A Plumm Summer' Amateurish, Hokey But Not Awful."] 'Deseret News.' May 15, 2008. The newspaper labeled the score as "one of the worst musical scores in recent memory", and felt the period songs were "ill-chosen". The 'Minneapolis Star Tribune' was particularly harsh in its criticism. The newspaper felt the picture was "insulting to your child's intelligence, veer
'Variety' gave a much more positive review. The industry trade journal called Owen Pearce's performance "scene-stealing," and felt all the performances were "at a very high level across the board."[https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936255.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 Loewenstein, Lael. "'A Plumm Summer'."] 'Variety.' February 19, 2008. The magazine also praised Zelder's direction: "
References
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