We went to see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie this past week with a number of adults and kids and I have to say that everyone absolutely loved this movie. There is something for everyone to relate to in this movie, young or old. It stays true to the book which was a concern all of us had before seeing the movie. However, you don't have to read the book to enjoy this movie. In addition, the adaptation from the book to "silver screen" was one of the better ones I have seen and the transformation captured the essence of the story intact. There were a few additional scenes added to the movie that weren't in the book, but they kept in step with the story and didn't detract at all from the enjoyment of the film.
The cast was all well picked. The main character of the movie, Greg Heffley (played wonderfully by Zachary Gordon) stayed true to the book and he was totally believable. Everyone felt that this kid actor, Zach Gordon, did a great job of bringing life to this complex character and transforming Greg Heffley from a cartoon stick figure in the books to a real live person, while maintaining all his idiosyncrasies. It was also fun to watch him as, at times, he has these great facial expressions. The beauty of the movie was the added sensitivity and emotionality that presented itself in the film that wasn't available to us in the novel.
In the movie, Greg led us on an emotional roller-coaster ride throughout the film: first we liked him, then we hated him, then we felt sorry for him, then we loved him. His relationship with his best friend Rowley along with its ups and downs (hey, just like real life) was great for kids to see. For adults, it would remind us of the "real" friendships we had (from simpler times) in those early Jr. High School years. Before computers we had real "live" friendships and we really did go over to our friends' houses to "play".
I did not find the movie "trite" "predictable", or "slow". The comedy was evenly paced and kept the attention of the audience throughout, including my kids. This is a very entertaining movie that can be enjoyed by adults as well as kids. If you want a fun, witty, wholesome, and relatable story that will both touch and entertain you at the same time, go see this movie, it won't disappoint.
