The First of May

As undemanding family fare goes, this gentle (if also completely preposterous) flick mostly succeeds. Thinking that his foster home guardians are about to hand him back over to the orphanage, 11-year-old Cory (Dan Byrd) runs away to (quite literally) join the circus with spunky old coot Carlotta (Julie Harris), a nursing home resident he has befriended and taken to calling “Grandma” (she tells wonderful stories of big top life on the road—with elephants and all!) from her youth. Before heading for the circus, however, the pair start their own fresh-baked halvah business. Really. Based on Gail Radley's YA novel The Golden Days, director Paul Sirmons' 1999 The First of May is a crying-on-the-inside kind of family comedy that also features Mickey Rooney as the circus owner and Charles Nelson Reilly as an aging clown. Winner of Best of the Fest at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, this is an often amateurish but sincere film—one that's also notable for featuring Joe DiMaggio in a cameo (his final screen appearance) giving Cory baseball tips. DVD extras include a tribute to DiMaggio. A strong optional purchase. (M. Johanson)