I’m 35. This was not what I was expecting. From the title you could be led to believe that this is the video diary of some kid who works at the fast food place where you get real crockery and cutlery. Although I am detached from the world of children’s literature, I am savvy enough to know that this is the second movie based upon the hugely successful series of books.
I had not seen the first movie, so I was unsure whether I would be able to get into this one. Being 25 years over the target audience age, I was also unsure whether I would like this at all.
I need not be concerned with either worries. The movie starts with an introduction to the main characters that morphs the book illustrations into their human movie form. The “wimpy kid” is Greg Heffley, the middle child of 3 boys and the son of eccentric mum and dependable dad. The whole world seems to be against him and, if his diary is anything to go by, it is!
From the initial introduction the film lurches from one excruciatingly humiliating moment to another all held together with a thin thread of a plot about Greg’s long running feud with older brother Roderick.
Everyone in it does a good job of bringing the characters to life. Steve Zahn plays the dad in a somewhat surprising casting. My only criticism was the kid playing Rowley (Robert Capron) who looked uneasy in many of the scenes he was in. It was as though he was forcefully acting, rather than living the moment. A hefty criticism for a lightweight movie, but that part would have been far more entertaining had it had an actor with more charisma and (dare I say it?) talent, think Jeff Cohen (Chunk from the Goonies).
The film is jam-packed with jokes and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout. Some moments fall flat, but generally this is good clean fun and if nothing else, it helps you realise that even as an adult your sense of humour is that of a 10 year old.
My Rating 3/5
Writer on the Storm 