There are many of us who long for the days when seemingly ninety percent of all movies made featured a pre-pubescant ten-year old as the lead. Critics may refer to this period as “the nineties.” Kid-classics like Home Alone, The Mighty Ducks, The Sandlot and Hook among many others encapsulate what it’s like to be a kid by exquisitely portraying a child’s imagination as one which can effectively do anything from conjuring up a complex plan to foil a couple of robbers or traveling to a place called Neverland. Maybe the 90’s kid flick formula got tired all too fast.
Aside from tween heartthrobs Shia Lebouf, Daniel Radcliffe and Taylor Lautner, studios are usually reluctant to attempt to steal the box office by employing a pre-teen no-name as their lead. Taking her first stab as a producer, Nina Jacobson intends on reversing this trend. And I gotta say, she’s off to an exceptional start. Slipping into the #2 slot of the weekend box office is her film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. That’s right. Take that Bounty Hunter!
Directed by Thor Freudenthal and developed through Dreamworks’ Color Force, Wimpy Kid is about a twelve-year-old boy who tries to find his place through the social nightmare that is middle school. While admittedly this is a kids movie, it’s easy for people of all ages to relate to the main character, Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon).
John Hughes showed us all just how hard high school can be. But middle-school is often overlooked. Half of the school has embarked on puberty while the other half has no idea why their best friends have facial hair. Heffley seems to acknowledge this even before middle school has begun: “I’ll be famous one day, but for now I’m stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons.”
Zachary Gordon and Director Thor Freudenthal.
Throughout his middle-school journey, it’s this kind of attitude that gets him into all kinds of trouble. Heffley is bombarded with several moral dilemmas that I’m sure we’ve all experienced. But the way in which these dilemmas are often painted lead us to believe that Heffley is the Coen Bros.’ A Serious Man of his middle-school. Shit just keeps happening to him–and he can’t quite control it. People point judgmental fingers at him and eventually he is forced to accept the reputation of being a total loser.
The writers of Wimpy Kid (Jack Filgo and Jeff Filgo) have succeeded in detailing the politics of what it takes to become popular in middle-school. The Filgo Bros.’ characters are often so self-aware of their place in the social hierarchy that they frequently pull out all stops necessary to satisfy their quest for popularity. For some characters a decision as simple as choosing whether to join the yearbook staff versus the safety patrol can translate into weeks of misery. It’s fascinating to watch.
Wimpy Kid was a lot more challenging than I expected it to be. Heffley seems to have the intelligence and foresight of an adult who has already experienced middle-school. It wouldn’t shock me if middle-schoolers today or even middle-schoolers from fifty years ago relate to Heffley. Because among boys, Heffley is some kind of everyman.
Charlie Wachtel is a Senior Writer for The Film Crusade and Founder of www.filmcrusade.com.
Took my family to see this movie and it was great! It’s funny, fun, and wholesome entertainment. The boy who plays Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) is wonderful and believable. There is nothing negative about this movie. It is a fun and emotional rollercoaster ride. As close to the book as I’ve ever seen an adaptation.
I think Charlie Wachtel’s review is very accurate. We did not know what to expect from this movie, but now that we have seen it, I can tell you that adults will enjoy it as much, if not more, than their kids. There is something for everyone in this movie. Even if you don’t have a kid…don’t worry, go see this movie, you won’t regret it.
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