TV writers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah did the first film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Their second shot at bringing Jeff Kinney’s popular books to the screen is the book’s sequel Rodrick Rules.
Rodrick is main character Greg’s big, and obnoxious brother. Mom wants them to get along better and bribes the brothers with “mom money.” Wondering why mom doesn’t understand basic evolution and that according to the laws of nature a brother in high school and one in middle school don’t like each other, but loaded with cash, Rodrick makes an attempt to tolerate his little brother.
And vice versa.
Subplot one has Greg smitten with the new girl in school. He schemes and scams for ways to meet her. She’s a babe, popular, athletic and smart. In real life, the poor kid doesn’t have a chance. But this is the movies.
You also gets scenes of Greg hanging out with doofus friend Rowley, and they do some non-entertaining stuff.
There are a couple of sweet brotherly bonding scenes and one funny bit when Greg — running to rescue his diary from Rodrick who threatens to give it to the girl of his dreams — accidentally goes into the women’s restroom.
Reviewing films such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is tough. There are so few great movies aimed at families and children. As a parent, you hate to put down any effort to reach children and young teens with a positive message — the message so prominently found in Kinney’s books.
As bad as I feel, I must be honest. This one just doesn’t get there.
As with the first movie, the target audience is middle-school or boys approaching those grades. The middle-school crowd, however, is more interested in CGI, fast-paced plots and action. If the made-for-TV-type plot attracts young boys at all, they’ll be in grades lower than middle school.
Some will like it and the positive message. Some won’t.
Here’s the problem. So few scenes are genuinely funny that there is considerable doubt that children of any age will be entertained. Somewhere in Kinney’s material is a good movie.
It just didn’t get made.
And as a post-script. You do have to feel sorry for this cast. The kids and the adults are all terrific actors stuck in a poorly written and badly conceived sequel.
Post-script two: Kinney wrote five books. Please tell me there won’t be three more movies.
Mr. Movie rating: 2 stars
Rated PG for some mature themes. It opens Friday, March 25th at the Carmike 12 and at the Fairchild Cinemas 12.
5 stars/4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars / 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars / 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on DVD.
2 stars / 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself
