Being one of the founding fathers of my regions monkey movie club(this also includes apes/chimps and orangutans) I am reviewing this film from a monkey movie standpoint. Afterall it is a whole summer of monkeys, 100+ days for monkeys to do what they do best, cause mischief, shenanigans, hyjinx, solve human problems and teach us about ourselves.The story is simple enough. In short poor boy needs money for stuff he wants. Luckily there's a few monkeys(chimpanzees) that have a bounty on their head that would get Boba Fett or Dog's(Duane Chapman) blood flowing. As the boy tries to catch the monkeys he learns about himself, his family, his grandpa, the local weirdo, flirts with a girl twice his age and learns the beast way to deal with bullies is to have someone point a shotgun at them.There within lies the problem. So much focus is put on the boy that the chimps just don't get the screen time they deserve. The chimps are not as talented as the chimp(s) that play Jack from the M_P trilogy or the legendary orangutans that play Dunstin or Clyde(1 or 2). So don't watch this movie expecting to find the next big thing in the Chimp genre. The chimps hit some sweet flips which is what the film needed more of. There is an epic scene of the chimps breaking into the poor families house and destroys all the things they worked so hard for. Serious monkey movie enthusiasts will want to rent the film for this scene alone.So in closing this movie is not for the serious monkey movie enthusiast. I wouldn't recommend this movie to families as it encourages a childs rebellion against their parents. I can only recommend this film as a rental for hardcore monkey loving adults and well supervised children.

I enjoyed watching this movie very much. I will say that the acting was not the best ever but it was just fine. I have seen much worse acting in movies that come right out of Hollywood. This is a movie that contains no swearing, nudity, or excessive violence. There is a fist fight between two boys and that's as far as it goes. The ending may be somewhat predictable but it is still heartwarming. This movie reminds me of the way it used to be "back in the good old days" where children were taught right from wrong and family values were a wholesome part of life. Don't watch this movie if you plan on critiquing every scene and action of the actors or you will probably come away disappointed. If you choose to watch it just for the fun of it and to share some time with your family then I think you will enjoy it as much as I did. At least I hope so.

I watched this with another adult and nine children. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The monkeys were very entertaining and there were plenty of laughs. However, the movie is mainly quite serious. It deals with many issues common to adolescents such as peer relationships, bullies, sibling relationships, conflict with parents, role in the family, accepting responsibility, sharing, caring,and maturing. It also deals with seeing things from another's point of view. it is pertinent to children and bittersweet nostalgic for adults.The story line was original, the acting very good, the cinematography outstanding and the costuming was authentic. I would give this movie very high marks and recommend it to both adults and children. There should be more movies of this quality and thoughtfulness generated for the enjoyment of families and movie buffs.

This is a well acted & directed adaptation of Wilson Rawls "Summer of the Monkeys". A truly great movie for kids and a book that ought to be read too, along with Rawls award winning, "Where the Red Fern Grows".Good summer fare for kids out of school for the summer and entertaing for adults too.