Diary of a Wimpy Kid
(PG), 94 minutes, 2.5/5
Jeff Kinney had a hit on his hands when he penned Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Getting into the mind of a sixth grader, Kinney found a fertile ground for humour from the angst that comes with pre-teen territory.
Now, that inner turmoil has
hit the big screen and is sure to be a hit with the many youngsters around the world who enjoyed the book.
Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) enters sixth grade with the typical anxiety of his peers.
He wants to be accepted. He wants to be liked.
But most of all, he wants to avoid humiliation.
Unfortunately, Greg doesn't get off to a great start and despite his best efforts, life doesn't get better, it only gets worse.
The harder he tries, the further he falls down the popularity pecking order.
Even his far-from-cool friend - Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron) - finds a way to win favour just by being himself.
Yet plan after winning plan fails to bring any joy for Greg who is dismayed by his lack of progress.
His every thought and deed (good and bad) is recorded in his diary.
Some children's films have a high crossover margin and adults can get just about as much out of them as the youngsters.
But Diary of a Wimpy Kid seems more directly aimed at the pre-teens who will identify and squirm as they watch Greg's ham-fisted efforts to be popular.
