ALABAMA MOON is big-hearted and sweet and likable, but it also feels rushed and truncated, as well as uneven in tone.

At every step, director Tim McCanlies grinds the gears in his earnest, but ultimately clunky, adaptation.

Big-hearted, inspirational and forgivably contrived with just the right amount of poignancy, excitement and comic relief to keep older and younger audiences captivated.

Some kind of modern Tom Sawyer. Nothing exceptional, but good to spend an evening with the family.