I saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid while I was on a family vacation in Maine. There wasn’t much to do that night, so we decided to watch a movie. In all honesty, we were looking for a “bad” movie, something we could laugh at because of the way it was produced, not because of its script. We were drawn in by the title of this film.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a live-action adaptation of Jeff Kinney’s book series by the same name. (You can actually check out the book for free online.) Greg Heffley is the protagonist, who has just entered the 6th grade. The movie touches upon many of the troubles of a typical middle-school student: cooties, popularity, the “right” friends, being picked on by older siblings, etc. In the end, the message is essentially that you should always “be yourself.” Naturally, this is a great message, but its presentation is rather weak. Of course, Greg Heffley learns to “do the right thing” by the end of the movie, but he spends a great deal of the movie being selfish. He is not a very likable character, a bad role model for kids.
Thus, while I give Diary of a Wimpy Kid some credit, it’s not a movie I plan to view again any time soon. I’m also not enough of a fan of it to go out to a theater to see the sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules, which is currently in production and will probably hit theaters around March next year. The DVD for the original will probably hit stores around the same time.
My recommendation: wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it then. If you’re a parent renting it for kids, you may want to take the time to view the movie in advance and decide on your own if you feel that the movie is overall a positive influence on kids. Though it is, in essence, a good idea, its weakly portrayed message may not be enough to make up for the rather rude and egotistical character that Greg Heffley initially is.
