Diary of a Wimpy Kid 1 and 2 [DVD]

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

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 scariest 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 scarier 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