Movie Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012)

A review of the 2012 family movie starring Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn.

Synopsis: Greg Heffley planned to spend his summer vacation playing video games. However, when his dad bans video games in the house and offers to get him a summer internship at his company, Greg instead spends his summer pretending he has a job at a local country club so he can spend time with his friends.

Who's In It?

The movie stars Zachary Gordon, Steve Zahn, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris and Peyton List.

Review

My youngest daughter has been reading books from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and wanted to watch this movie. Since we didn't have anything else planned, we ended up letting her watch it after school.

Having never read the books myself, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this film. But, as it turns out, it was actually a pretty entertaining family film.

One of the things I really liked about this movie is it wasn't nearly as predictable as I was expecting it to be. I just knew all the lies Greg (Gordon) was telling in order to have a "perfect" summer vacation would eventually blow up in his face. But, it also wasn't easy to figure out just how that would eventually happen or what the consequences would be.

I also found I loved some of the supporting characters in this movie, especially his friend, Rowley (Capron), who was bizarre to the point I couldn't stop watching. And, when we finally meet his family and learn exactly why he's as weird as he is, I thought it was hilarious. That part with the ice cream cone was classic.

My favorite character in this movie had to be Greg's dad. Granted, it was a bit bizarre seeing Steve Zahn in a parental role. However, as the movie progressed, I thought he was the perfect choice for the role (especially since his dad was as much of a screw up as he was).

In addition to being funny to watch, I found it easy to relate to him, especially when he was candid about feeling as though he had nothing in common with his kids. Heck, I've been there before (especially when I see how talented my kids are at art and I and I can't even draw stick figures). The fact I could see myself in his shoes made this movie as entertaining to watch for me as it was for her.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

During his summer vacation, "Wimpy Kid" Greg Heffley, the hero of the phenomenally successful book series, hatches a plan to pretend he has a job at a ritzy country club -- whic...

View on Amazon

Final Opinion

I didn't think this would be the case, but I ended up enjoying this movie. It's a family film I would definitely recommend, especially if your kids like the books.

My Grade: A