A Look Back at the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Films (2010-2017)

One of my favorite book series growing up was Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Originally a web novel on Kinney’s website, the book was picked up by Abrams Books in 2006, and the first book was released one year later. But do you know where I first heard of this book? From my mom, when she picked up a copy for me at my fifth-grade book fair. She really liked the premise and thought that the main character, Greg Heffley, was very similar to me. Safe to say, I was hooked. So imagine my elation when the books were adapted into a film.

Released in 2010, the first movie revolved around the events of the first book. Greg Heffley (played by Zachary Gordon) is starting his first year in middle school. Like many kids going from elementary school to the big leagues, he struggles with the sudden transition and becomes socially aware of his popularity ranking among his classmates. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson (played by Robert Capron), doesn’t seem to care about the approval of his peers and remains unapologetically himself. Throughout the school year, Greg and Rowley undergo the trials and tribulations that all middle schoolers go through that put their friendship to the test, from tasteless pranks to petty jealousy.

I’ll be frank with you, I actually didn’t like the first movie at all when it came out. It’s no secret that most book-to-movie adaptations don’t have the best track record. While there are some exceptions to the rule (cough, Lord of the Rings, cough), most of them range from forgettably average at best to downright unwatchable assassinations at worst. Even though “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” is far from the 400-500 page young adult novels that came before and after it, it still reads like one. The film takes some creative liberties from its source material, but it largely does so to streamline the plot. Looking back now as an adult, I actually like most of these changes. The Heffleys feel like an organic family; Frank (Greg’s dad) and Susan (Greg’s mom) actually want the best for him instead of just randomly pushing him to be more social without caring about his own needs and desires. And even though Greg is still largely the same narcissistic bastard, he’s less lazy and actually willing to join certain clubs and activities if only to skyrocket his own popularity. For example, he joins the school play out of his own volition instead of being forced to join by his mom.

Greg’s friendship with Rowley also serves as the core component of the first film. In the books, Greg is, to no one’s surprise, depicted as a bad friend and influence on Rowley. He laughs at Rowley’s fashion choices, critiques his way of wearing a backpack, and even scoffs at his interests and hobbies that do not pertain to himself. Greg even goes as far as to accidentally break Rowley’s arm and not even apologize for it, saying that his actions made Rowley more popular at school, and also gets him kicked off the School Safety Patrol by lying to the principal. When Rowley stops being friends with him, Greg begins to realize that he needs Rowley more than anything else. Towards the end, he even sacrifices his own popularity to bail out Rowley when it’s suspected he has the “cheese touch” (the equivalent of nuclear cooties), which prompts the two to become best friends again. I love this ending far more than the book’s ending because it has Greg learn a valuable lesson instead of just giving him his friendship back as a consolation prize (which the book does).

What I don’t like is the inclusion of Angie (played by Chloe Grace Moretz). She’s a completely original character to the movie and is introduced as this hipster “too cool to play by school hierarchy rules” kind of character. I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of those kinds of kids at your school; they’re pretentious, annoying, and no better than the perpetrators and followers of the school hierarchy. My question is, why did the director feel the need to include her? She does very little to further the plot. Did they just feel the need to have a female character to interact with the male leads? It does make sense, considering both Greg and Rowley are not exactly popular with the ladies. But Angie doesn’t really do anything, except snap embarrassing photos of Greg for the school paper and chide him on his life priorities. My personal theory on why she was included? The casting directors just wanted to give Chloe Grace Moretz ANOTHER acting gig because she was the biggest child actress of 2010.

The film made over three times its budget, a whopping $76.2 million on a budget of only $15 million. You know what that means: it’s sequel time! Released only a year later and based on the second book of the franchise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules expands our focus to Greg’s family life, specifically his relationship with his older brother, Rodrick (played by Devon Bostick), a.k.a. every rebellious American teen. It must be tough having an older brother who constantly does his best to make you look miserable. I wouldn’t know, since I am an only child, but I can imagine it. But things only get more complex when a new face appears in town by the name of Holly Hills (played by Peyton List), who Greg is instantly smitten with. Greg concocts many possibilities to get closer to Holly, but most end in either failure or embarrassment, with her even accidentally referring to him as “Fregley” (a.k.a. the weird kid, ouch).

If you ask me, the film adaptation is largely an improvement over its source. Greg’s hair is more accurate to his book counterpart, and his relationship with Rodrick stays faithful to the book while taking the story in its own direction. Unlike in the book, where Greg and Rodrick are constantly at each other’s throats, the film throws in some moments where the two genuinely bond, making them feel more than just brothers but friends. Even though the two still butt heads and try to sabotage each other (Rodrick doing what he can to embarrass Greg in front of Holly, or Greg getting Rodrick grounded as petty revenge), the two still stick up for one another when the going gets tough. Why? Because that’s what family does. You may bicker, disagree, and even fight with one another, but in the end, you love and support each other to the moon and stars beyond.

This tipping point originates from Rodrick’s epic house party when Frank and Susan leave home. In both the book and movie, he has Greg go grab some drinks in the basement before locking him down there. Now in the book, Greg is left to peek under the basement door to get a minuscule glimpse of what’s happening. But in the movie, Susan calls the home phone while the party is in its dawn. Rodrick tries to lie to his mom, but Greg actually manages to manipulate the situation to make Rodrick let him upstairs. This is where the fun begins, since if it weren’t for Greg and Rowley doing what they do best, Rodrick’s party would’ve been just another failed attempt at High School Musical. I love this change, since it combines old-school camp and brotherly beef and is a cathartic, albeit unintentionally wholesome scene.

Don’t get me wrong, the book has these bonding moments, but they are sporadic at best and gratuitous at worst. Rodrick will give Greg some advice and then, a couple of pages later, will act like nothing happened between them and go right back to bullying him. Meanwhile, the movie has Rodrick only give his high school wisdom after Greg helps him cover up the party and refuses to rat him out to their parents about the party. This leads to a montage of the two going on some pretty funny bonding moments together (including a scene where the two prank their P.E. teacher by placing fake vomit on his car). Rodrick even gives Greg advice on how to win Holly over, like a real supportive older brother. If you ask me, the film adaptation of Rodrick Rules is one of the few shining moments where a film can shine as brightly as its source material.

Something I haven’t mentioned yet is how perfectly cast this movie and the previous one are. Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron truly feel like their respective characters ripped straight from the pages. But Devon Bostick fully embodies the rebellious, wannabe rock and roller to a T! He brings a naturally effortless swagger of a guy trying way too hard to be seen as cool while hiding his own awkwardness. We see this during the house party where one of his friends dares him to go dance with the girls. Devon’s and Zachary’s chemistry is through the roof, and you genuinely feel like they could be brothers off-screen. It’s so rare to have casting this accurate in modern movies, and you know that any future adaptations will have big shoes to fill (trust me, I know, and I will spare you the imagery).

Now you might be wondering, “Mike, what about Angie?” And to that, I’d like to ask, what about her? Because she doesn’t appear AT ALL in the second film. We don’t even get a throwaway line explaining her whereabouts, so either she moved away, or she got dusted by Thanos. Taking her place as the obligatory female lead is Holly Hills. Unlike her book counterpart, who has just one spoken line and no discernible personality, the movie makes her out to be the new popular girl who’s also athletically gifted and incredibly smart and hardworking, combining beauty, brains, and brawn. She’s also given two sisters, an older sister who teases her and a younger sister who’s spoiled rotten, perfectly mirroring Greg’s family life. Despite Greg’s one-sided crush on her coupled with his low social status, she doesn’t see him as lesser. She even gives him advice on repairing his relationship with Rodrick, being more than just a token love interest or goal for the main character.

Since Rodrick Rules was received better by critics and made back a little less money than the first, it was still financially successful enough to garner a third film. And you know what they say: third time’s the charm, right? Right?? Enter Dog Days, named after the fourth book. It’s now summer vacation, which means that Greg can do what he does best: mosey around at home playing video games in the basement. Unfortunately, his dad has other plans for him, such as sending him off to Spag Union Preparatory School. Not Spag Union Military Academy (like in the book), because…reasons? Anyways, Greg does his best to get on his dad’s good side while still staying one step ahead of him. You know…like in the third book, beat for beat. So, why wasn’t this movie titled “The Last Straw?” I’m guessing because it was summer-themed, whereas the third book was not.

Despite introducing a major plot point from the books, the movie very quickly forgets Spag Union for the ENTIRE second act. We are instead treated to Greg and Rowley monkeying around his dad’s country club while Greg tries to get closer to Holly Hills, who’s also a member of the club. Remember how the two of them built a decent friendship in the previous film? Well, now we are back to square one with Greg almost not knowing how to act around Holly. Dog Days (I hate referring to it by the fourth book’s title so much) tries to squeeze the third book in with the fourth so badly that it loses its identity and feels like two directors made this. Or better yet, one director made a version that the studio rejected, leading them to fire and replace them with a different director with a completely different vision. Sound familiar?

In “The Last Straw,” Spag Union is treated as this tough-as-nails proto-military academy for delinquents and wimps to be turned into “men.” Imagine boot camp from Full Metal Jacket if it were led by Marlon Brando from Apocalypse Now. However, in the movie, Spag Union Prep School seems like some bizarre BYU Mormon fever dream mixed in with some Stepford Wives-style brainwashing. I guess this is supposed to be intimidating? I think my bunny slippers are scared. But to give credit where credit is due, the film does try to throw some creative twists your way, such as when Rodrick tries to impress Heather Hills (Holly’s older sister who works as a lifeguard at the country club) by pretending to drown, only to end up getting saved by a bald, middle-aged man who proceeds to conduct CPR on him. It’s so out of pocket that you can’t help but squeal in laughter at Rodrick’s predicament (and subsequent trauma). But these moments are far sparser and feel like they exist to give this dying franchise a jumpstart.

Even though Dog Days made the most money out of the three films, it served as the final film of the franchise until 2017 with the film The Long Haul, named after the seventh book. So what did we learn in 5 years? Well, for starters, the entire cast was replaced. That’s right, you heard me. Now I understand the original cast was aging up; I mean, Zachary Gordon’s voice dropped a full octave, which made him sound far older than his co-stars. But the franchise loses its sparkle without the original cast. The change is so dramatic, I actually thought this film was a reboot. The new cast isn’t bad, but they feel far more inorganic, mechanical, and slightly more mean-spirited than the original. This especially applies to Jason Drucker as Greg, who is a far cry from his previous depictions. I think the best way to describe this film is that one aging aunty who still thinks she’s the popular cheerleader from high school without realizing she’s pushing 45 years old and has a beer gut.

The Long Haul is not just the worst film in the series; it was so bad that many long-time “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” fans have completely disowned it from the franchise. And I don’t blame them; I could barely stomach the first FIVE MINUTES, much less an hour and a half of this slop. I think I know why this movie is titled “The Long Haul;” the whole film feels exactly like a long haul! The Long Haul was the final nail in the coffin of a dying film franchise, with the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” film franchise put on ice until its reboot in 2021. It’s kind of sad seeing one of my favorite childhood memories slowly evolve from endearing and fun to just another soulless corporate entity. The first two “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies are still amazing over 20 years later and not only feel like landmarks in our childhoods but also like the “Harry Potter” of 2010. You couldn’t escape the phenomenon that was the first “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” film. But somewhere along the journey, the magic just…vanished, and all that remained was an empty shell. A hollow husk that once sold endless smiles to the world.