Diary of a Wimpy Kid Review: Stands Strong
March 21, 2010 by Keshaunta Moton
Filed under feature overlay, Movies
Now, I am not a sap. I honestly DO NOT BELIEVE that I am a sap. That being said, and you’re going to have to trust me on that, I absolutely adored Dairy of a Wimpy Kid.
Dairy of a Wimpy Kid tells the story of Greg. Greg, played by Zachary Gordon is a freshman just starting out in middle school. He is uncool, invisible and unappreciated. With a bully of a brother (Devon Bostick), parents who never see his side (Steve Zahn and Rachel Harris), and a best friend who is even more helpless than he is, Greg seems to get lost in those surrounding him. Perhaps as a result of this, he is obsessed with being popular in school. Greg wants to be known for being “the best” at something. Or maybe it just seems that he wants to be known.
Anyway, so Greg starts out on his campaign to become ‘somebody.’ So, he joins a couple of teams and clubs hoping to find a place where he can excel and finally become famous. He tries to change himself, tries to change his friends, in order to become more acceptable to his peers. And with each new idea the audience is left to wonder, just how far he will go and when will it be enough. Just what is Greg willing to risk in order to fit in?
This movie is so beautiful. Everything about this movie worked for me; from the cast and the characters, to the storyline, everything pulled together to bring cohesion, depth, and most of all heart.
The casting of this movie was absolutely fabulous as all of the children seemed well suited for their roles. From Grayson Russell as Fregley, the weird kid with hygiene issues, to Chloe Moretz as Angie the loner girl with far more knowledge than her years, the casting was great. My favorite casting was hands down that of Rowley, Greg’s best friend, played by Robert Capron. Capron’s vulnerability and optimism are hard not to believe. And that’s true with all the characters; it’s just so easy to fall into this movie.
The driving force of this movie is the characters. All of these characters are fully fleshed out and as I said, the children do a wonderful job portraying them. It’s hard not to get invested in these kids and the payoff is well worth it.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is based off of the book by Jeff Kinney. I haven’t read this book so I couldn’t tell you how accurate a representation this is. But as a movie, it stands great. Kids will like this movie, it’s funny, has action, and a little bit of a gross factor; so, it’s good on that.
Now, the reason that this review starts off with a big disclaimer is there is a great chance that you won’t like this film. The whole thing is just so sugary sweet it may aggravate your cavities. But, even though I am NOT A SAP, that was fine with me. So, check with your dentist first, and if you don’t have any underlying health concerns, give it a try. On a scale to five, this would be a solid four.
See it.
Photo by: Rob McEwan – © Copyright (c) 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
I’ve been looking forward to catching this movie and now that I’ve read these reviews I think it is moving to the top of my must see list. Thanks for the honest feedback
We went to see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie this weekend and absolutely loved it. I would recommend it to anyone of any age.
I have to agree with Jason T and Matthew Crews as we thought Greg Heffley was the star of the movie. The actor who played Greg(Zachary Gordon) did a great job of bringing life the character and transforming Greg from a cartoon stick figure in the books to a real live person, while maintaning all his ideosyncracies. Greg led us on an emotional rollercoaster ride throughout the movie: first we liked him, then we hated him, then we felt sorry for him, then we loved him. I think this was a very complex character to play seeing as the actor was very believable. Even just his expressions could evoke emotion in you. In the case of Rowley, we liked his character and felt sorry for him, but all of us felt that he was just playing himself. That is who he is in real life, there was nothing complex or really interesting about him, so we weren’t as taken with his acting ability. Besides his character is an “underdog” and Americans like “underdogs” who we feel sorry for. But that doesn’t make him a good actor. Just as the book explains him, he is a pudgy “dufus” kind of character and the kid who played him fit the bill.
At least we can all agree that this is a wonderful movie and can be enjoyed by all ages. If you want a fun, witty, relatable story that will touch you and entertain you at the same time, go see this movie. I really think this is going to be one of the biggest hits of the year!
Wow. Nice to see the movie provokes such raw emotion from a viewer. And I always admire a character who garners such loyalty. Kudos to them for that.
You are right. Zachary Gordon did do an able job as future wannabe superstar, Greg Heffley. He was good, though not great in my opinion.
My heart was stolen by Robert Capron as Rowley and I found his character to be far more emotionally stimulating. So, while you are right, Greg was the central character, he was not the star. But that’s just my opinion. And I respect that as much as I respect yours.
i dought a four would do it.it touched me made me laugh and nearly cry near the end when the boys fought.i have read the books at least 6 times so it is a really good representation of what everyone is thinking so in other words on a scale from 1-10 its an 11.so i would see this cute funny comedy about a boy and his many problems he faces in middle school.to be honest i would love 2 have saw it more than 1 time…so the dvd should really be a big thing for me seeing about how many times ive read the book.even though the movie has added some new parts so it is alittle bit diffrentit still is a pretty beasty portion of the book in there from drawings of greg and how he feels to big fight on the playground at westmoore middle school.im sure true fans of this book will be stilling in there chair laughing there head off like i did so i would definetly say see it in theaters.
My whole family and a number of friends went and saw the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movie and we all enjoyed it. The movie was terrific: funny, witty, relatable, intellegent, and very entertaining.
However, where I am confused in this review by Keshaunta Moton is that the whole movie rests on the shoulders of the star of the movie, Greg Heffley (played by Zachary Gordon), yet knowwhere in this review do you mention how great Zachary Gordon is in playing the part of Greg.
To us, Greg made the whole movie, yet you mention everyone else in your review as being good but Greg??? This is confusing as the character of Greg is the whole catalyst that makes this movie work. Without Greg there is no interaction or performance by any other character. Theyy are all sub-text to him. So the only actor you do not comment on is the one who played the character that makes it all happen, Greg Heffley. How can you have an objective review without mentioning him? You have left out the actor who plays Greg, and without him, there is no movie! Therefore your review fell flat and felt biased.
We didn’t like Greg too much as a person, just like in the book, however, we rooted for him because he was so believable and we all thought Greg’s character carried the movie and the actor did a great job…pity you couldn’t find a sentence to give the kid the accolades he deserves for making the movie what it is?