Movie Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

In 2007, a web comic called Diary of a Wimpy Kid was adapted, by original author Jeff Kinney, to a novel aimed at young readers. The novel and its sequels have constantly been on the best-sellers list for over two years, peaking at the top spot with over 25 million copies in print. So it’s probably safe to say, they are pretty freaking popular.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid follows Greg Heffley through his day-to-day life as an American seventh grader. His awkward experience on the school wrestling team, tragic stint on the cast of a musical and trick-or-treating misadventures are all chronicled, hilariously, in his “diary.” The novel’s charm relies heavily on Greg’s consistently funny, and wonderfully cynical, first-person narrative. The events in Greg’s life are entertaining enough, but it is his commentary that makes the novel a joy to read.

Unfortunately, what makes the book so appealing is also what makes a film adaptation very challenging. How can a filmmaker capture the attitude found in Kinney’s novel? Since constant voice-over isn’t an option (or at least it shouldn’t be), the most likely option would be abandoning Greg’s signature cynicism, replacing his character with the kind of typical watered-down schoolboy found in most children’s movies.

To put it bluntly, the film adaptation of Dairy of a Wimpy Kid should have sucked. The team of inexperienced TV writers hired to adapt the book should have kept the book’s narrative while ditching its spirit. The director, whose only other film is 2009’s Hotel for Dogs, should have sloppily slapped together a series of scenes without much vision. The young actors should have been talentless and the seasoned veterans (Steve Zahn?) should have phoned in their roles.

That is what should have happened. But it didn’t.

The screenwriters did change Kinney’s story; they had to. The stream-of-consciousness style of the book wouldn’t work well for a movie. They shuffled scenes, added characters, eliminated others, but they kept the novel’s tone intact. Like Kinney with his young readers, the filmmakers trusted their audience. They acknowledged that not all grade-school kids are drooling morons. Kids, despite their parents’ wishes, find edgier material appealing. Not every movie aimed at young viewers needs to pander to overprotective parents who only want their kids watching movies about talking pets. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid crew should be applauded for staying true to both the off-color essence of the novel as well as the less-than-sanitary nature of childhood itself.

The acting is decent enough and the characters are likable…even the ones you aren’t supposed to like (some of the films biggest laughs come from Greg’s douchey older brother, Roderick). The story is simple, but effective, and the filmmakers resist the temptation to inject a deeper meaning into their movie. This is fun for the sake of fun and there’s not a lot to be learned here, which is sometimes exactly what kids need.