Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Review
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is the second movie of the series, based on the best-selling illustrated novels by Jeff Kinney. Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) is now in seventh grade, he’s no longer the wimpy sixth grader. However, his confidence is brought down very quickly by his older brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick), who jumps at the chance to harass his little brother. Meanwhile, their parents (especially the mother) desperately want the two boys to be friends, and get along; they even go out-of-town for the weekend, leaving Greg and Rodrick alone so they can have a “bonding” weekend with each other. There are many comedic and entertaining parts to this movie, one for the whole family to enjoy.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: March 25, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 9+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points
I am a huge fan of this series, they are not only fun movies, but the books are entertaining too, and may encourage young kids to read!
It is Rowley (Robert Capron), Greg’s overweight best friend, who serves as the obedient, moral boy in the movie. There’s a great contrast between the two boys. Rowley always tries to do the right thing, despite what people think of him, and things usually work out well for him. Greg makes his decisions based on what’s going to be popular, which almost never works out for him.
The two boys visit their grandpa in a retirement home. Even though they are bored, it’s cute to see the grandfather/grandson interaction, and shows the importance of family.
Some parents may feel uncomfortable with this movie. The two boys do some inappropriate things; they lie and manipulate their parents, they have a party when they were instructed not to, and Rodrick pulls some mean pranks on his younger brother. However, this could spark some great parent/child conversations; of what NOT to do.
Here are Rodrick’s Rules: They may be funny to your children, however, they’re rules that you won’t want your children to follow!
• Rule #1: “Don’t be good at something you don’t want to do.”
• Rule #2: “Always lower mom and dad’s expectations.”
• Rule #3: “Never do something when someone else can do it for you.”
Sexual Content: Mild
• Nothing for parents to be concerned about.
Violent Content: Moderate
• Rawley sits on a small ball filled with toothpicks. Though this hurt him, it was a funny scene.
• There are a few mild arguments amongst the two brothers, but nothing for parents to be too concerned about.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
• Words such as “jerk” “butt-brain” and “doofus” are used.
I interviewed parents and children after the movie, some comments were:
“I liked the fake vomit,” said a 9-year old boy.
“I liked the part with the chocolate on Greg’s pants,” said a 10-year old boy.
“It was a fun and entertaining movie,” said a mom.
As I previously mentioned I loved this movie. The film portrays the reality of every family; whether it’s trying fit in at the middle school or being a rebellious teenager trying to figure out life. We all have our issues, but as parents, we want nothing more than our children to be happy, have good morals, and treat each other with respect! That’s ultimately what Greg and Rodrick’s parents wanted from their children.
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