The Last Day of Summer
What if it were possible to re-live one particular day over and over again with the potential of changing one's actions and altering the future? Eleven-year-old Luke Malloy (played by Hayden Panettiere's younger brother Jansen Panettiere) is granted to the ultimate "do-over" when his wish that somehow it could stay today forever comes true and he begins endlessly reliving the last day of summer. Fearful about entering middle school where recess is a thing of the past, they'll be split up from their friends, and a scary punk called Meat (Daniel Samonas) rules the hallways, Luke and his friends A.J. (Jon Kent Ethridge) and Riley (Eli Vargas) are determined to have one last day of fun at the local Labor Day carnival. Things don't go quite as planned and the trio has a frightening encounter with Meat, then Luke's nerves get the better of him at the local skateboard bowl and before his band's performance at the talent show. When Luke is inadvertently hit on the head, he wakes up and it's the last day of summer all over again--and again, and again. As he repeatedly relives the day, Luke learns a lot about himself and the motivations of others and begins to alter his actions in ways that may potentially change his future. A Groundhog Day (B00005U8EM) for the tween set, The Last Day of Summer is an entertaining movie for ages 7 and older that does a nice job of exploring middle school angst and encouraging self-confidence. --Tami Horiuchi
