Rose, the 12-year-old protagonist of “Rain Reign,” is obsessed with homonyms — words that sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning — and the title duly refers to the name she gives to her suitably regal-looking golden retriever. There are no hidden layers of meaning, however, in Erika Burke Rossa’s straightforward, sweet-natured family film. A simple story of a young misfit making her way through a world she doesn’t understand, it imparts pleasingly mature lessons in resilience, selflessness and tolerance without much in the way of coding or disguise. Low-key and likable, this modest adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s 2014 children’s book will appeal to patient, sensitive kids and their parents, but may be a bit muted for others.
Though Paul Rudd takes first billing — and is on characteristically amiable form as a kindly uncle — relative newcomer Felice Kakaletris is clearly the star of the film, as the highly intelligent, neurodivergent Rose. Solemn and earnestly empathetic, her performance persuasively anchors “Rain Reign” in the character’s naive but rigidly rational, strongly principled worldview. (Enough so, in fact, that the writing of her running voiceover can sometimes feel a bit pat.) Rudd’s involvement, meanwhile, may raise the profile of this Tribeca premiere sufficiently to net it some theatrical exposure, though it should feel quite at home on the small screen.
