Yes, these are probably movies you only watch if you have kids.
Lucky for me, I have kids.
The Story:
Greg is off to enjoy his summer vacation. Assuming he can spend time with his crush, avoid his parents, not upset his older brother and not lose his best friend in the process.
Piece of cake.
To be fair and honest, I don't remember much of the first film. It was okay, I guess. The idea for the book is genius, a diary which uses artwork in the book so it's fun for kids to read because sometimes a funny picture is indeed worth a thousand words.
But I must not have hated it, because I rented the sequel, Rodrick Rules, and if there was a list of 2012 Guilty Favorites, it would be on there. The relationship between the brothers was the focal point of the movie, and it was a funny ride watching the two attempt to get along, and then actually bonding. So sweet.
: )
Now the third one rolls along, and this time Greg is spending the summer avoiding his parents, crashing the country club with his best friend, all in pursuit of the girl of his dreams. Typical family fare as always. Humorous, but not nearly as enjoyable as the 2nd one. I would say that Rodrick is the lynchpin of the humor for me. The less they use him, the less interested I am.
I'm guessing the franchise either has to reboot with a new kid, or this will be the last of the series as their star and his kid friends are all growing up rather quickly. They've done 3 films in about 3 years, and the middle school-ness is starting to fall away as the kids get older, so we'll see what the franchise is able to do in the future.
If they do keep going, I hope they keep the parents, especially Steve Zahn who always does a great job in whatever film he is in. He has a bit more to do this go round, including a bit of character growth for him as well.
So if you (or your kids) enjoyed either of the first 2, sign yourself up and take the plunge again.
If you've never seen any and want to, I'd go with the 2nd film.
: )
Grade: C+
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