The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules – movie review

The Diary of a Wimp Kid: Rodrick Rules is based on the second book in the popular childrens series The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This sequel to last year’s first film is about Greg entering 7th grade, meeting a girl of his “dreams,” and, of course, his rocker older brother Rodrick. Greg has to help cover for his older brother, but also bond with him, because their mother insists that they do. Can Greg get close to his annoying older brother, or is it too late? And can Greg survive the 7th grade life?

I adored the movie; I thought that Greg and Rodrick were great, even if they were mean. Anybody with siblings would understand that it is part of life. Even if they both made threats to each other, they still showed that they cared. As an example, when Greg found out about the party that Rodrick threw, he helped him cover it up. It really shows you the dynamic between siblings, and I have to say that is impressive that they caught that so well on film. It did not feel fake; you could really believe that the actors were brothers.

Now on to the characters.  I loved Rodrick and Greg the most–they captured the essence of the whole story. But I also really loved the rest of the characters, who rounded out the movie well. I cannot really say any one charater stole the movie; it was all put together where everyone shone equally. It was balanced, and I think that is what helped make it great. I am sure that most people will be fans of either Rodrick, Greg, or Rowley, and there’s a case for each because they all made a great team.

I think that the script stayed pretty close to the books, but, of course, movies are never exactly like the book. It is hard to believe that this movie is pure fiction, just because it chronicles a life of a tween so well, especially his relationships. But it is also filled with plenty of humor that everybody can enjoy, not just kids. In fact, I recall mostly adults laughing throughout the movie, more so than the kids. The producers did a good job in making this film appeal to all age groups and whole families.

The set was fabulous; it sort of reminded me of Home Alone in a weird way. The house, school, neigborhood, and other places were very well built. It really did have the suburban feel to it, which I am sure was their goal for the movie. I loved that it had an old school feel to it, too–I think it will make a lot of adults who watch it feel like this is how a kids’ movie should look.

For proper age group, this is a true kid-friendly movie. It has nothing that I think anybody would be offended by. It really is like a throwback to what we as today’s adults grew up watching. I think that will please many of the parents who feel that they have to watch it when they take their kids. As I said, I think it was really written with all ages groups in mind, and I appreciate that so much. It means a lot to make a movie to appeal to a wide range of viewers, and they made it happen, which is a big deal in my opinion.

To wrap this review up, I will say that this is my current favorite movie of the year thus far. It is funny, cute, and very true about how tough it is to be a tween. The cast did a great job bringing the beloved characters to life and told the story in a great fashion. For my typical 1 through 10 rating, I give it a 10. It really is a perfect movie for families by any means, and I do plan on seeing it again.

What do you think about ? Did you enjoy it as much I did? Give us your thoughts in the comments.