Summer of the Monkeys

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Summer of the Monkeys ★★½ 1998 (G)

Fairly sappy family pic set in rural America. John Lee (Ontkean) is a hard-working farmer with a caring wife, Sara (Hope), precocious son Jay Berry (Sevier), and a crippled daughter, Daisy (Stuart). Gramps (Brimley) runs the local general store and Jay works there, hoping to save money to buy Daisy a pony. When a nearby train wreck leads to the escape of a foursome of circus monkeys, Jay aims to find them first and get the reward for their return. 101m/C VHS . CA Michael Ontkean, Leslie Hope, Corey Sevier, Katie Stuart, Wilford Brimley, Don Francks, B.J. McLellan; D: Michael Anderson Sr.; W: Greg Taylor, Jim Strain; C: Michael Storey; M: George Blondheim.