Commentary by writer/director Caroline Zelder and writer/producer Frank Antonelli, Gag Reel, Deleted Scenes, Behind-the-Scenes Music Video, Behind-the-Scenes on the Red Carpet ---

A Plumm Summer is directed by Caroline Zelder, and stars Clint Howard, William Baldwin, and Henry Winkler. Jeff Daniels narrates the film, and Tom Heil composed the musical score. ***

A small town is faced with a strange crisis unlike anything it has ever faced before. The primary form of children’s entertainment in the area is a magician and his frog puppet. When the puppet is kidnapped and held for ransom, the FBI is brought in to investigate. Ultimately, it ends up being up to the local children to solve this strange mystery. ***

This is a strange film, and it’s certainly not an easy one to review. With the mature themes explored here, it’s a throwback to those family movies of the seventies – filled with mature subject matter, but still a hundred percent appropriate for kids. First-time director Caroline Zelder tries to score all across the board with her first picture, and while it falls well short of greatness, it’s a worthy first effort. ***

The flaws aren’t that hard to pick out here – weak performances, often scattershot direction, and so many mature themes that the movie tends to bite off more than it can chew. Fortunately, the themes here are ultimately positive and rewarding, and children and adults alike will be able to relate to the story here. Even if the movie loses points in other are as, it does score big in terms of originality. It’s a nice mix of seventies family cinema and more modern entertainment. ***

All in all, A Plumm Summer isn’t award-winning material. But it’s a terrific family film, and if you’re looking for a thoroughly-entertaining movie you and your children alike will enjoy, this one will make for a good weekend rental. ---

Image and Sound:

This is a competent transfer which represents what is probably the best that could have been done with what was, most likely, low-budget source material. It’s a relatively-clean transfer, with no major distortions to speak of. The audio, since it’s mostly dialogue, isn’t going to give your speakers any sort of major workout, but this was never meant to be that kind of movie. All in all, A Plumm Summer looks and sounds pretty good on home video.

A few features have been included on the disc. A crew commentary is included, which is an enlightening listen for anyone who is a fan of the movie. Also included are a comical blooper reel, deleted scenes, and some brief behind-the-scenes featurettes. It’s not a massive collection of supplements, but it’s more than I was expecting to find on the disc.

Final Words: