Riley Howerzyl

I extremely rarely write reviews. However, this movie makes me feel in a way that I haven’t in a long time. I was 6 when this movie came out, and I probably watched it a few years after that. I have memories of watching it right after my family moved to our new house, and I felt that Ramona and I couldn’t be closer. I just watched it again, home from my second year of college, and I cried no less than four times. I cried for the nostalgia, for the feeling of being misunderstood and left out, for the imperfections that my family and their family has. I cry because it’s a perfect movie. It’s full of shenanigans, sure, and I understand if other people take issue with elements of its whimsy, and I know that some of the jokes don’t hit, but every piece fits into the story so well. Nothing is included that is unnecessary or not called back to. It captures the complexity of many different kinds of relationships so well. When Hobart proposes to Bea and she says yes, Ramona is devastated but the camera lets you forget that and bask in the happiness that most of the family feels. It is only when we turn back to Ramona that we remember that to leave with the love of your life means that you will be leaving other people behind, perhaps people that you’ve made unkeepable promises to. It is beautiful and sad and joyful all at once. I love this movie and I hope that everyone can find a film that, while not objectively perfect, feels perfect and wonderful to them.