Ramona and Beezus (U)

Starring: Joey Quinn, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Ginnifer Goodwin

Nine-year-old Ramona Quimby is the heroine of a series of novels by Beverly Clearly, published 50 years ago.

She's meant to be a loveable scamp with a streak of the accident-prone, wholly compensated by her, you know, irrepressible sense of fun and mischief. She tries to help when her dad (John Corbett, who played Carrie's lummoxy beau in Sex and the City) loses his job, and her charming aunt Bea is wooed by an old lover; but she generally screws things up and destroys cars, houses and tender moments. Despite everyone's efforts, Ramona comes across as an insufferably spoilt and attention-seeking little horror. Her big sister is played by babe-of-the-moment Gomez, and it's good to see Ginnifer Goodwin (the lovelorn Carrie Baker in Mona Lisa Smile) playing the main romantic interest at the age of 32.