Someone over at Nick has been watching too many Bill Murray movies lately. Sony has released The Last Day of Summer, an "original" Nickelodeon made-for-cable movie that tells the story of a fifth-grader enjoying his last day of summer vacation - a last day that keeps replaying itself over and over again. Sound familiar? Sure, it's Groundhog Day, isn't it? Oh yeah, and one of the film's big, reoccurring jokes is a pair of obviously fake chipmunks who watch the film's leads, and react comically to their shenanigans. Familiar, too? Yep; Caddyshack. There's nothing inherently wrong with The Last Day of Summer, but it's not exactly original or memorable or funny or engaging or frankly interesting, either.

Luke (Jansen Panettiere), a fifth-grader not exactly looking forward to his graduation to middle school, spends his last day of summer vacation at his town's Labor Day Festival. His best friends, Riley (Eli Vargas) and A.J. (Jon Kent Ethridge), who stayed the night with Luke in his backyard tent, come along to the festival because the boys have a band, "Steel Monkey," that will be playing that night. Warned by his sister Diana (Alexandra Krosney) that not only will they be humiliated at the concert that night, but that Luke better watch out for Meat (Daniel Samonas), the middle school Goth bully, Luke dreads the following day.

Once at the festival, Luke, A.J. and Riley enjoy all the rides, and even get a chance to talk to some girls, including sweet Alice (Denyse Tontz), a nice girl that Luke secretly likes. Right before the boys are to perform, Luke wishes that this perfect day would never end (and by implication, wish that tomorrow's unknowns would never come). Fate delivers a blow to his head (courtesy of a swinging board), and bingo! He's back in the tent with A.J. and Riley, and the day has started all over again. As the same day is repeated over and over again, Luke must learn how to change his destiny, and accept the future, before the cosmic cycle ends and he's free to move forward in time.

It's weird, but I'm not sure why Nickelodeon, certainly one of the premiere children's entertainment providers, would need to lift an old Bill Murray movie for a movie idea. I mean, they really can't find writers to come up with something new and original and fresh? Sure, the thinking was probably, "What ten-year-old out there has ever seen that movie?" and from that standpoint - and the fact that I'm hardly the film's target audience demo - it's probably a smart move. But if you're going to lift something that's great to begin with, can't you at least pay homage to it halfway decently?

The Last Day of Summer is so tentative, so bland and calculated, and just plain blah, it's again a wonder that the creative people at Nickelodeon couldn't juice it up somehow. A good case in point is the reliance of "farting" in The Last Day of Summer. Let's be clear, first. I remember being ten, and breaking wind was funny. But when I was ten, the only place you could see a joke pertaining to that was in Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles - and it wasn't on TV. I'm no prude, by any means; you want gas jokes, be my guest. But does it have to be in almost every kids' movie for the last 15 years? The Last Day of Summer features the exact same fart joke at least six times, and the writer and director expect it to be more hilarious every time we see it. I mean, is that really the height of hilarity for a kids' movie today? That's all you have in your bag of tricks? I wish I could find something else to discuss in this movie, but honestly, that's about the only element that really stood out - probably because it was featured so prominently - and frequently. I suspect if you asked network suits or the creative talent behind films like The Last Day of Summer about such jokes, they'd first say, "Lighten up," and then make an argument that that's the kind of humor kids expect today. Well, I can pretty well guarantee that the first time such a joke found its way into mainstream kids entertainment, no kid "asked" for it. It was presented to them, and now they like to see it. But more importantly, if everyone dropped it from the movies they make today, kids wouldn't miss it for a moment. Walt Disney made movies for decades that made billions of dollars, they're still shown today, and there were no fart jokes in them. Relying on lame-ass, cliched humor like that found in The Last Day of Summer is such an easy dodge for writers who could (and should) be trying to write genuinely funny, witty, smart stuff for young viewers.

But that's typical of The Last Day of Summer. Nothing about it is truly "genuine." It's a borrowed concept, with conventional, cliched, pre-programmed stock characters and situations. Kids watching it might be amused, but if you take the time to look around, you'll find more worthwhile entertainment that's original or at the very least, truly witty and funny.

The DVD:

The Video:
The anamorphically enhanced, 1.78:1 widescreen video image for The Last Day of Summer is pretty sharp, with no transfer issues I could spot. Colors were well balanced.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English 5.1 stereo mix was strong, but the anonymous pop crap soundtrack was instantly forgettable. French and English subtitles are available.

The Extras:
There's a behind-the-scenes featurette included that's basically worthless (the cast just screwing around), while an included blooper reel isn't any funnier than the main feature. There's a music video included, too.

Final Thoughts:
"Why?" would probably be the only question I'd have for the makers of The Last Day of Summer. It's lifted from a better movie, but that's never been a black mark for a good movie. All they had to do is deliver their own take on Groundhog Day. But The Last Day of Summer is so bland and blah that you'll instantly forget it the minute it's over (my own kids cruised before it was over, too). No doubt it will be repeated on Nick numerous times, so what's the point of buying it? Particularly when it's so marginal? Skip The Last Day of Summer.