Music by Steven Argila | ||
Produced by Jim BechtoldSean GesellDon SchainBrian Wells Written by Jim BentonKristin Hanggi Starring Emily Alyn LindMary-Charles JonesDavid MazouzSterling GriffithJames WaterstonLea DeLariaMaddie CormanLaura Bell BundyJeffrey HansonTom Markus | ||
Dear Dumb Diary is a Hallmark Channel TV movie based on the book series of the same name by Jim Benton. It stars Emily Alyn Lind as Jamie Kelly, a seventh-grader who documents her experiences at Mackerel Middle School in her diary, as well as Mary-Charles Jones as her best friend Isabella and Sterling Griffith as popular girl Angeline. First airing on the Hallmark Channel in September 6, 2013, the movie received mixed reviews.
Contents
Synopsis
Jamie Kelly is a student at Mackerel Middle School. Her closest relationships include her best friend Isabella Vinchella, her 'nemesis' Angeline and her love interest Hudson Rivers. Upon finding out that budget cuts are taking away the art class, she inadvertently signs up for the Jump-A-Thon, which Angeline is also participating in. Jamie and Isabella go door-to-door asking for donations, with Isabella also getting donations for a donation group she refers to as the "Juvenile Optometry Federation" Meanwhile, her Aunt Carol applies for a job as a secretary after Jamie accidentally injures an older secretary in Assistant Principal Devon's office.
Aunt Carol starts dating and Jamie tries to figure out who this mysterious date is. Meanwhile, Angeline appears to be hanging around Jamie a bit more, which Jamie assumes is something evil or manipulative going on. Jamie attempts to steal Angeline's permanent record, trying to find things to use against Angeline. Just days prior to the Jump-A-Thon, Jamie finds out that Isabella lied about the "Juvenile Optometry Federation" and was just using the money to buy herself some contact lenses, which turn out to be faulty. At the Jump-A-Thon, Jamie learns that Angeline, despite all the sponsors she's received for the Jump-A-Thon, cannot do jump-rope. Against her own preferences, she decides to help Angeline and gets Isabella to help Angeline too.
Her family has a gathering at her house in which several of the teachers are invited. At this party, she learns that the mystery boyfriend of Aunt Carol is none other than Assistant Principal Devon, whom she soon learns is Angeline's "Uncle Dan" when he announces that he & Aunt Carol are engaged. This disturbs Jamie upon learning that she may end up being Angeline's cousin. Isabella then reveals that she started up a charity called the "Juvenile Optometry Federation" Jamie tells Angeline that she had taken her permanent record, but has returned it, telling Angeline that she's still taking Hudson to the wedding.
Cast
Production
The movie was first announced on Jim Benton's website. The movie utilizes plot-lines and aspects from various instalments in the Dear Dumb Diary. The main storylines of the Jump-A-Thon and Aunt Carol's mystery date originate from Never Do Anything, Ever and Can Adults Become Human, respectively. The side story of Jamie stealing Angeline's permanent record is borrowed from Let's Pretend This Never Happened, while the "zone-shampooing" gag originates from a storyline in Am I The Princess Or The Frog. Three of the original songs, "Dear Future Jamie," "My Awesomeness is Awesome," and "Meatloaf Mystery," were written by Dan Mackenzie. Other songs were written by Steven Argila and Seth Freeman.
Music
The songs include:
The soundtrack includes "Score Suite for Dear Dumb Diary" performed by Steven Argila, the film's composer, and "Dear Dumb Diary (Karaoke Mix)" by Emily Alyn Lind.
Reception
The movie has mixed reviews, with an audience rating of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, whilst IMDb has gotten a rating of 5.8 out of 10 for the film based on rankings of the film. Common Sense Media has given the film 4/5 however, stating "Books-inspired movie has great social messages for kids". Pretty Famous has ranked the movie 49%