Author of the original book for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” Jeff Kinney, right, is shown March 8 in Philadelphia with Zachary Gordon, left, and Robert Capron, stars of the film version.
In “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” Greg Heffley, played by Zachary Gordon, is a wise-cracking pre-teen misunderstood by most everyone in his life.
To the audience, Greg’s actions seem justified. To his family, friends, teachers and classmates, his actions are anything but that.
Greg struggles to reach a high level of popularity, strategizing all the way to move up the social ladder. This 94-minute PG-rated flick nails the intricacies of a young boy’s mind in a fun, family film.
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” is based on Jeff Kinney’s novel of the same title. The film follows Greg through his dramatic first year in junior high, where he quickly develops his own system of popularity by ranking students from one to 200.
As the film moves along, Greg falls continuously further down the ranks in a series of perplexing situations. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron), climbs to the top of Greg’s popularity ladder after having his arm broken in a tricycle accident caused by Greg.
Their close friendship falls apart when Greg allows Rowley to take the fall for an irresponsible act by Greg while escorting younger elementary students home.
Greg explains the situation to Rowley, taking little blame for the incident, and when Rowley rejects his rationale and finds a new best friend, Greg is determined to prove everyone wrong. In a series of hilarious events and unique catastrophes, Greg becomes hated by much of the school and is in trouble at home for much of the movie.
The way Greg rationalizes his motives to get Rowley back on his good side is made very transparent by his belief that everyone is moronic.
By narrating the scenes, Greg shows he has no bad intentions in what he does. Although he justifies everything he does in his own mind, everyone in his life fails to see his true feelings.
It is easy to feel sympathy for young Greg as it becomes very clear he is stuck between two chaotic worlds of maturity and adolescence. He has the acute arrogance of a middle school student, but he is a good person underneath some poor decisions.
The first half of the movie explores the exaggerative imagination of Greg, illustrated by his fantasies of becoming famous.
As he becomes more aware of his social failures, the fantasies no longer appear in the movie, but simple black-and-white drawings (which sometimes take over the appearance of actual people) in Greg’s journal never die out.
He never is able to fully accept he is wrong, only looking at those who disprove of him as at fault.
He sees the world as a very mathematical place, convinced that certain clubs or sports he joins will determine his number on the social scale.
Once he becomes more aware of his social faux pas, Greg is able to see the importance of his friendships.
Although the film is targeted toward ages of those in the film, it’s ready to entertain any audience. The humor is simple and well done. Aside from some cliché comedy, there are a few mature jokes in there for parents.
Joke segregation aside, the movie maintains a good blend of humor and emotion throughout. A rotted piece of swiss cheese on the playground, which has been there for many seasons, gives anyone who comes in contact with it the “cheese touch,” and they are immediately outcast like a leper.
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” will leave you with a warm, comedic feeling — no matter what your age.
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