Based on a popular book series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid follows the exploits of Greg Heffley (played by Zachary Gordon) as he begins middle school. As middle school can be a cruel place, Greg wonders if he should continue to hang out with his best friend Rowley (a wonderful Robert Capron) who’s destined to be unpopular. The highs and lows of their first year are played out with often very funny results.ClearPlay in Action!
This is the type of movie ClearPlay was made for. Though rated PG for “some rude humor and language,” the rude humor and language is exactly what I don’t want to see and hear in a kids’ movie. Thanks to ClearPlay we avoid several shots of a magazine with a scantily clad girl on the cover, a close-up of a booger, a bathroom urination incident, and a mole with a hair growing in it, among other things. Also cut are about 20 instances of inappropriate language. The movie is better off without them.Is this adaptation good, or just plain Wimpy?…
People familiar with the original book may be disappointed by the different approach, but Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of those unexpected surprises: a movie for kids that doesn’t pander to the young viewers and doesn’t insult the older ones. The main dynamic is between a somewhat unlikable main character who does everything he can to be popular, while his geeky friend is refreshingly comfortable in his own skin. Delightful, funny and believable.
Marty Nabhan— ClearPlay Tweener-at-Heart
Rated PG for some rude humor and language.; 94 min; Directed By Thor Freudenthal
Posts
