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We watched _Diary of a Wimpy Kid_ this weekend, because the boy has read like all the books and the new movie is coming out on Friday, the first movie got actually pretty good reviews with respect to adults viewing it, and the boy's parents wanted to know whether or not we wanted to go out and see the new one in the theater.
Turns out, the reviews were right; we all enjoyed the movie. We won't be seeing the new one in the theater, but we will get it from Netflix when the time comes. There were several laugh-out-loud moments, and it was decently acted all around, considering the subject matter. If you've got kids who are interested, I can happily recommend it for your next family movie event.
But damn, so many of Greg's issues are a direct result of his behavior, and I didn't feel like that was sufficiently apparent to the target audience. This is to a significant extent understandable, since Greg is the unreliable narrator, and he's obviously completely incapable of recognizing that mostly he's screwing himself over, rather than being the innocent victim of circumstance that he imagines himself to be. I expect this is even more the case in the books, where Greg is the *only* source of information, and the boy informs me that the redemptive moment at the climax of the movie doesn't actually happen in the book.
But if you consider it a parenting opportunity to talk to your kids about how Greg's actions and attitudes affect his experiences--(pause) "Wow, did you see that? How do you think the other kids are going to react to that?*" (discuss)--you've got not only an entertaining experience, but maybe an educational one as well.
I wouldn't watch this movie to watch it for myself, but I've seen plenty of movies with the boy over his eight-plus years that had a lot less to offer me in entertainment value.
*Yes, I do try to be Socratic with the boy. It's easier to get ideas into his head if he thinks he's coming up with them himself than if I'm just preaching at him.
Turns out, the reviews were right; we all enjoyed the movie. We won't be seeing the new one in the theater, but we will get it from Netflix when the time comes. There were several laugh-out-loud moments, and it was decently acted all around, considering the subject matter. If you've got kids who are interested, I can happily recommend it for your next family movie event.
But damn, so many of Greg's issues are a direct result of his behavior, and I didn't feel like that was sufficiently apparent to the target audience. This is to a significant extent understandable, since Greg is the unreliable narrator, and he's obviously completely incapable of recognizing that mostly he's screwing himself over, rather than being the innocent victim of circumstance that he imagines himself to be. I expect this is even more the case in the books, where Greg is the *only* source of information, and the boy informs me that the redemptive moment at the climax of the movie doesn't actually happen in the book.
But if you consider it a parenting opportunity to talk to your kids about how Greg's actions and attitudes affect his experiences--(pause) "Wow, did you see that? How do you think the other kids are going to react to that?*" (discuss)--you've got not only an entertaining experience, but maybe an educational one as well.
I wouldn't watch this movie to watch it for myself, but I've seen plenty of movies with the boy over his eight-plus years that had a lot less to offer me in entertainment value.
*Yes, I do try to be Socratic with the boy. It's easier to get ideas into his head if he thinks he's coming up with them himself than if I'm just preaching at him.