Product Description
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Based on the best-selling illustrated novel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney, the comedy chronicles the adventures of
wise-cracking middle school student Greg Heffley who must somehow
survive the iest time of anyone's life: middle school.
Offers Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles.
Special Features:
* Feature commentary by director
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
Greg Heffley, the kid who made "wimpy" cool, is back in this
side-splitting sequel based on the second installment of the
best-selling book series. Having rid himself of the Cheese Touch,
Greg enters the seventh grade with his confidence and friendships
intact, and an eye on the new girl in town, Holly Hills. But
things have gotten out of hand at home, especially with his big
brother, Rodrick, and Greg is about to learn that there may be
something even ier than middle school--his own family.
Offers both Spanish language dubbing and subtitles.
Special Features:
* Featurettes including: My Summer Vacation, My Zoo-Wee
Vacation! by Rowley Jefferson and My Magick Summer by Greg
Heffley
* Gag reel
.co.uk Review
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The first volume in Jeff Kinney's wildly popular Web and book
series hits the screen in this live-action adaptation. The impish
Zachary Gordon, who recalls Wonder Years-era Fred Savage, plays
Greg Heffley, who enters middle school determined to become class
favourite. It won't be easy. His best friend, Rowley (the sweetly
funny Robert Capron), is a big, redheaded lug who embarrasses him
at every turn. Greg's obnoxious teenage brother, Rodrick (Devon
Bostick), advises him to keep his head down, but Greg believes he
needs to excel at something to achieve his goal. Smart, but small
for his age, he tries wrestling and safety patrolling, but
nothing seems to fit. During gym class, he and Rowley meet
wise-beyond-her-years newspaper reporter Angie (Chloë Moretz,
(500) Days of Summer), who finds popularity overrated. Greg isn't
convinced, but the harder he tries, the more boorish he becomes,
until even Rowley abandons him. After a humiliating encounter
with some high school bullies, though, Greg learns what really
matters: self-respect (he also discovers that the dreaded "cheese
touch" is just a myth). Berlin-born director Thor Freudenthal
(Hotel for Dogs) avoids any dull or sentimental patches, which
should please kids and adults alike (an upbeat modern-rock
soundtrack doesn't hurt). Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn could use
more face time as the terminally un-cool Heffley parents, but
Harris's rhythm-impaired moves at the mother-son dance provide
one of the best laughs. Kinney fans will also appreciate the way
Freudenthal weaves stick-figure drawings from Greg's journal
throughout this zippy entertainment. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
Brothers aren't supposed to get along, so it should come as no
surprise that Greg and his older sibling Rodrick fight
continuously. However, their mother has a different idea about
what the relationship between two brothers should look like, and
she writes a column about it for the local newspaper, so she
should know. Never one to let nature take its course, Mum tries a
variety of strategies to get the boys to bond--everything from
the incentive-driven "mom bucks" to punishing them by leaving
them home together for the weekend while the rest of the family
heads to the water park. The wild party and ensuing chaos that
one would expect when two boys are left home alone happens right
on schedule, but so does a surprising development in the boys'
relationship with one another. Greg pours his every thought about
the difficulties of surviving middle school and living with
brothers into his journal in this film, which is based on Jeff
Kinney's book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. While it's
definitely a different experience to see the cartoon stick
figures from the book morph into human forms in the live-action
film, director David Bowers and actors Zachary Gordon, Devon
Bostick, Robert Capron, and Rachael Harris do a good job of
preserving the feel of the book--specifically, how each of the
characters is driven by emotion and how they are often
overwhelmed by their sense of mental conflict and anguish. Kids
frankly state that The Diary of a Wimpy Kid films aren't as good
as the bestselling books, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy
the movies or that they won't be clamouring to see them. (Ages 7
and older) --Tami Horiuchi