‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days’ is funny, but stupid

Between Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, it appears that kid-friendly summer fare is at an all-time low. Truth be told, Dog Days is a vastly more enjoyable film than Judy Moody. But that’s not saying much. The latest installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series features stupid jokes, typical situations and aww-shucks moments with family members realizing their mistakes.

Some of the jokes in the 94-minute film are quite funny, even for the adults in the audience. Some of the jokes also border on inappropriate. Almost all of them are childish.

The positives are few, but memorable: Director David Bowers has a nice way of tying the books by Jeff Kinney to the cinematic adaptation. Each main character is first introduced as a stick figure, much like they appear in book form. After peeling away the animation, we see the actors playing the respective roles. It’s a nice little touch that connects the source material with the new movie.

The acting is also enjoyable. Steve Zahn, an actor in need of a film worthy of his talents, is often hilarious as Frank Heffley, reluctant father to Greg (aka the Wimpy Kid, played by Zachary Gordon). The story line is pure family film fodder: School’s out for the summer, and the kids need some instigating to find ways to escape the boredom. Greg and his friends, including Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron), decide to head outdoors and impress Holly Hills (Peyton List), a girl in Greg’s class.

One thing leads to another and the wimpy kid finds himself up to his neck in problems. His parents don’t trust him; Holly doesn’t recognize him; even Rowley finds fault in his best friend. Although there’s no diary-writing in the movie, Greg has a book’s worth of material.

Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s screenplay relies too heavily on easy one-liners and amateurish humor. They certainly earn some laughs, but it cheapens the overall story and characters. Rather than having something important to say about youthful rebellion and disengagement, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days feels like a retread of several other family films.

Gordon is a skilled actor at such a young age, although he takes the role so seriously that Greg feels older than an eighth grader. He also doesn’t come off like a kid who wants to play video games all day.

Perhaps the largest problem is that Dog Days doesn’t evolve past the usual, sticking solidly with the structure of so many similarly-themed movies. Much like Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, Hollywood is content with somewhat manufactured portrayals of young teenagers. They’re either disinterested in sports (Greg), too gullible for their own good (Rowley) or a seemingly perfect person (Holly). Parents are either mean or nice, with very little middle ground.

It’s understandable that 94 minutes doesn’t allow for deep thought, but simply reconfirming stereotypes is a waste of time.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

• 2012

• Directed by David Bowers

• Written by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky; based on the book by Jeff Kinney

• Starring Zachary Gordon, Steve Zahn, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris and Peyton List

• Running time: 94 minutes

• Rated PG for some rude humor

• Rating: