Rating:  

Color Force, Dayday Films, Dune Entertainment III, and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Written by: Jackie Filgo & Jeff Filgo, and Gabe Sachs & Jeff Judah, adapted from the children’s novel, “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney.

Adapted from the wildly popular children’s book series, “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid” arrived and became a surprise box office success in March 2010. Featuring a large ensemble of young actors, highlighted by a supporting turn from the tremendously talented Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Let Me In), “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid” is a film which fails to click because of a set of extremely unlikable or annoying characters and a storyline too silly to be interesting.

Keep in mind however that your kids or pre-teens, or even younger teenagers, will probably love this thing to pieces. It goes down light, makes an attempt at addressing the importance of individuality and staying true to who you are. Through and through, director Thor Freudenthal tries to implement much of the wit, wisdom, and relatability that Jeff Kinney’s series brings to the table. There is a reason why Kinney has written himself a franchise with these “…Wimpy Kid” books – they are simply a great read. One spin through them and you kind of wish something this cool existed when you were a middle schooler. Sadly for Kinney and fans of the books, the film loses something in the transfer to the big screen, muting much of the fun and humor found in the books.

With four writers, strangely credited in two distinct pairings, “Diary of A Wimpy Kid” the movie features Zachary Gordon as Greg. With a doting mother (Rachael Harris), aloof and obnoxious dad (a wasted Steve Zahn), even more obnoxious and bullying teenage brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick) and a younger potty-traning brother, Greg is often lost in the shuffle with the antics going on around him. His best friend, the awkward, rotund, and teddy bear-hearted Rowley (Robert Capron) stumbles through this moment and that situation, making Greg more and more embarrassed by the strange quirks Rowley can’t hide from. Increasing Greg’s anxiety is the reality that he is now a middle-schooler and despite being trmendously undersized for his age and grade, this 6th grader is savvy enough to know that first impressions mean everything.

Disappointingly, Greg is shown to be a whiny and rather annoying kid. I don’t recall having that sense in Kinney’s writing of the character but here, he is a bit manipulative and underhanded. While the movie feels like a missed opportunity, I feel bad for Zachary Gordon here. He looks and feels the part but the goofiness and bland attempts at humor fail him and the cast here. When the film takes a “serious” route, kids may care but there is no reality or purpose to any of it. Ultimately, I could not care less about Greg and his struggles. And I felt guilty about it. I am supposed to like this kid and instead, there were moments I wanted him to have a timeout and go away for awhile. In fact, I kinda despised his whole family, except for Mom. She tries to hold things together at least.

Along the way, Greg and Rowley encounter the editor of the school’s paper, Angie (Moretz, in a character added for the film), and are taken by her independent nature and spirit. Angie stands apart in the film and true to her young abilities, Chloe Grace Moretz is really the most interesting character to be found here. The characters and classmates Greg and Rowley encounter every day may read well in a book, but on screen goofballs like Fregley, Chirag, Collin, and Patty (Laine McNeil), all are played or directed too over-the-top to serve any purpose. Essentially, “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid” is a series of half-realized episodes, linked to a loose narrative. It probably would play much better as a weekly episodic children’s TV series on Nickelodeon or Disney.

And while I didn’t care for the film, I recognize what it is – a silly and goofy kid’s movie. Older kids will probably enjoy the heck out of this thing, with flashbacks, animated vignettes nicely modeled after the book, and passive gross-out humor. If you let your kids check it out, you can take a nap, catch up on house work, or return those Emails sitting in your inbox. A movie can be strictly made for children, but the sad reality of this film, is that it didn’t have to squander the elements from the book series which appeal to adults to get there.

Should I See It?

Let the kids see it. Save a couple of imitative moments and one mildly suggestive scene with a bikini magazine, there is little to worry about here.

The wildly popular book series brings a built-in audience. The success of this film triggered a sequel and we may be seeing the start of a franchise if the next one performs as good or better.

NO

For adults or older teenagers, this will not hold much interest. It is a silly, rather unlikable movie at times, and it clearly plays different for kids and their parents.

Read the books instead. If you are interested in why this series has reached such heights, sit down and scroll through Jeff Kinney’s series. They’re pretty enjoyable.