MArooned Movie Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Took the family to see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movie yesterday afternoon. I'm somewhat indebted to the franchise, as Jeff Kinney's Greg Hefley and his diary got TheBoy to be interested in reading. Naturally, it's a given that the tween and elementary school crowd around which this is geared would be interested in the movie; since TheBoy had practiced reading it to BabyGirl G., she was interested in seeing it as well. It also doesn't hurt that Jeff Kinney is a fellow MAhole...

I kept having to remind myself that this was a movie geared to the 8-12 year old set. The books are geared for entry-level readers, so they're looking to draw in the 3rd grade to entry level middle schoolers. Some of the characters were not as I had pictured; others were given more prominent roles than in the book, some less prominent. It's "loosely based" on the book itself is how I explained it to TheBoy - he kept asking me "Dad, why did they do that? The book doesn't have it that way" in certain parts. I figured a dissertation on creative license and "Hollywoodization" would fall on deaf ears at this point.

But overall, he and his sister enjoyed the movie. They both sat still through the entire hour and a half, which is partially a function of the movie holding their interest, but also them getting older and more mature (the parents out there are laughing uproariously at this). If your kids are interested in the Wimpy Kid Series, this is a must-see; if they're not into the series it's still engaging, funny, and overall a pretty darn good time.

Two thumbs up for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Movie".

That is all.