Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Thor Freudenthal
Produced by	Nina Jacobson Brad Simpson
Screenplay by	Jackie Filgo Jeff Filgo Jeff Judah Gabe Sachs
Based on	Diary of a Wimpy Kid  by Jeff Kinney
Starring	Zachary Gordon Robert Capron Rachael Harris Steve Zahn
Narrated by	Zachary Gordon
Music by	Theodore Shapiro
Cinematography	Jack N. Green
Edited by	Wendy Greene Bricmont
Production company	Color Force Dune Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	March 19, 2010 (2010-03-19)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15 million[1]
Box office	$75.7 million[2]

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's book of the same name.^[3][4][5] The film stars Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick. Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Chloë Grace Moretz also have prominent roles. It is the first film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series followed by 2011's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and 2012's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.

Plot

11-year-old Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) is anxious to start middle school. He lives with his mean older brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick), his mother Susan (Rachel Harris), his father Frank (Steve Zahn), and his younger brother Manny. Greg wants to become the most popular student at school, but he's worried that he childish best friend Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron) will humiliate them both.

During their first day, Greg and Rowley re-encounter Greg's longtime nemesis Patty Farrell (Laine MacNeil), engage in a dangerous game called gladiator during physical education class, meet a headstrong student named Angie (Chloe Moretz), and from fellow classmate Chirag Gupta (Karan Brar) learn of the Cheese Touch, a pandemic spread by touching a rotting slice of cheese on the basketball court.

Determined to become a class favorite in the yearbook, Greg and Rowley sneak into Rodrick's bedroom after school to look at his yearbook. Rodrick catches them, however, and gives chase. Rowley manages to escape while Greg confines himself in his room, but Greg has to urinate badly. The event ends with him accidentally urinating on Rodrick.

Greg's first attempt at school popularity is joining the boys' wrestling team with Rowley. He's humiliated on the first day when loses to Fregley (Grayson Russell), the strangest student at school. He's even more humiliated when he loses to Patty, who joined due to suing the school, and the defeat is in the school paper.

In an attempt to make Rowley more popular, Greg helps Rowley change his clothing choices, bike, and immature speech. On Halloween that night, the boys get in trouble when they anger a crew of teenagers by threatening to call the police and accidentally damaging their truck. Greg and Rowley manage to escape by running into the woods.

Greg's second attempt to become a class favorite is by having himself and Rowley join the school safety patrol. While walking a group of kindergarteners home, the boys are almost spotted by the teenagers from Halloween night.

During winter, Greg accidentally breaks Rowley's hand during a game they invented involving a bike and a football. As a result, Rowley starts to gain attention and become popular. His popularity increases when he becomes the new cartoonist for the school paper in the original's absence, despite Greg disliking his cartoon

On a rainy day during fall, Greg has to walk the kindergarteners home due to Rowley not being able to get his cast wet. Thinking that the crew of teenagers are coming, he is caught leaving the kids and is spotted by a neighbor who thinks Greg was Rowley due to Greg wearing his raincoat. As a result, Rowley is taken off safety patrol. Sometime later, Greg decides to tell Rowley the truth, but Rowley, having come to realize Greg's selfish actions, ends their friendship.

Due to Rowley befriending a student named Collin, Greg attempts to make him jealous by having a sleepover with Fregley. It ends with Greg spending some of the night in the bathroom after Fregley chases him with a booger on his finger. Frank picks him up afterwards.

Greg attempts to make amends with Rowley at a mother-son dance at school, but to no avail. Greg tries to pursue popularity without Rowley by auditioning for school a play of The Wizard of Oz. Greg gets a part due to his lovely singing voice, but turns down an offer for the role of Dorothy Gale. He decides to be a tree, thinking he'll be able to throw apples at Patty, who's going to play Dorothy. The play goes wrong when Greg stops singing in fear of humiliation when Rodrick starts recording him. Then Patty, Greg, and the other students on stage engage in a fight with apples from the tree costumes. The play ends with Patty angrily tackling Greg.

One day during free time at school, Greg and Rowley get into an argument. As it escalates, the other students try to get the boys to fight each other. It quickly ends when the group of teenagers from Halloween night pull up to the school. Greg and Rowley are caught while the other students flee. The teenagers force Rowley to eat some of the rotting cheese on the basketball court, causing Rowley to have the Cheese Touch. They try to force Greg to do the same, but the teens flee the property when they are caught by the gym teacher. When the students return back outside, Greg covers for Rowley and says that he ate the cheese, which mends their friendship. Angie compliments Greg for his selfless act.

Sometime later, the school year has concluded. All the students receive their yearbooks, and Greg and Rowley had enjoyed Greg's pandemic with the Cheese Touch as it gives them places to eat during lunch. The boys made class favorites as "Cutest Friends".

Cast

• Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley.
• Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Greg's best friend.
• Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Greg's older brother, and the drummer for the band, Löded Diper.
• Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley, Greg's mother.
• Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley, Greg's father.
• Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman, an acquaintance to Greg, who works for the school paper.
• Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta, a friend to Greg.
• Grayson Russell as Fregley, Greg's eccentric and grotesque schoolmate.
• Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell, Greg's nemesis.
• Connor Fielding and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Greg's younger brother.
• Alex Ferris as Collin Lee, Rowley's backup friend.
• Andrew McNee as Coach Malone, the gym teacher of Westmore Middle School.
• Rob LaBelle as Mr. Winsky, Safety Patrol leader.
• Alf Humphreys as Mr. Jefferson, Rowley's father.
• Belita Moreno as Mrs. Norton, the leader, director, composer, and producer of the Winter Play, Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• Harrison Houde as Darren Walsh, the first kid who had the Cheese Touch.

Production

Filming of Diary of a Wimpy Kid wrapped up on October 16, 2009.

The official trailer for Wimpy Kid was released virally on January 21, 2010 and was shown in theaters with Tooth Fairy.^[6] A poster for the film was released shortly after. Another trailer was shown with Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.^[7]

The official Facebook account for Wimpy Kid had uploaded three clips from the film, as of March 1, 2010.^[8] In the United Kingdom and Ireland the film was released in cinemas on August 25, 2010.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is supposedly to be released by La La Land Records with special thanks to the labels for the artists; Universal Motown Records (Forever the Sickest Kids), Capitol Records (Beastie Boys), B-Unique Records (Kaiser Chiefs), Columbia Records (Bonnie Tyler, Teddybears), XL Recordings (Electric Six), Rough Trade (1990s), Beautiful Bomb Records (Smash Mouth), Chrysalis Records (Bonnie Tyler), Stick Music (Bonnie Tyler) and Gordy Records (Rick James).^[9]

• "Ride" by The Vines plays when Greg first steps foot in middle school.
• "Never Miss a Beat" by Kaiser Chiefs. This song is heard when the boys are playing a game called "Gladiator" in gym class.
• "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi is played when Greg fantasises about himself being older and rich.
• "More Than I Can Do" (instrumental version) by Scott Kinney (brother of Jeff Kinney) is played when Löded Diper arrives at Greg's home.
• "Super Freak" by Rick James was played when Fregley is wrestling Greg.
• "When They Fight, They Fight" by The Generationals is played when Greg finds out he's in the school paper for being beaten by Patty in wrestling.
• "Hot" by Smash Mouth is heard when Greg is walking down the hallway wearing a shirt and tie in an effort to win the Class Favorite spot for Best Dressed.
• "Danger! High Voltage" by Electric Six is heard when Greg and Rowley attempt to escape the teenagers chasing them on Halloween but the weed whacker Greg uses loses control and damages their truck.
• "Cobrastyle" by Teddybears is played when Greg dreams of auditioning for safety patrols.
• "O.K. Mr Hillbilly" written by Ron Henley is played when Greg thinks he sees the teenagers from Halloween passing by while on Safety Patrol duty.
• "You're Supposed to Be My Friend" by 1990s. This song is played when Rowley stops being Greg's friend in favor of Colin Lee.
• "Total Eclipse of the Heart", written by Jim Steinman, is the song that is sung to when the kids audition for The Wizard of Oz.
• "We Three Trees", a song from the book, was performed by Greg and two other characters in the School Play.
• "Time To Die" written by Ali Dee Theodore and Joey Katsaros which was performed by Löded Diper when Greg's mother was about to tell Rodrick off after the latter is accused by Greg of putting an adult magazine in Manny's backpack.
• "Le Freak" by Chic. This song is played at the Mother/Son Sweetheart Dance when Greg and his mom enter.
• "The Popular Thing" by Jukebox The Ghost. This song can be heard playing in the background when Greg attempts to make up with Rowley by inviting him to join him for an ice cream after the dance.
• "Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys is played at the Mother/Son Sweetheart Dance when Rowley and his mom dance along to the song.
• "What Do You Want From Me (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Mix)" by Forever the Sickest Kids is played during the end credits.
• "Tear It Up" by White Demons
• "Up Rock" (slow version) by Ali Dee Theodore and The Deekompressors
• "Live to Rock" by Brian Tichy

Distribution

Tie-in book

A tie-in book, written by Kinney, called The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary was published on March 16, 2010, by Amulet Books (an imprint of Abrams Books). It includes film stills, storyboards, preliminary concept drawings, and also behind the scenes information to humorously chronicle the making of the film. It also includes some new illustrations.^[10][11]

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010. The Blu-ray Version features six pages from Rowley's diary, Diary of an Awesome, Friendly Kid.

Reception

Critical response

Reviews of Diary of a Wimpy Kid have been mixed. Review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 101 reviews, with a Top Critics rating of 50%, and an all critics rating of 53%. The consensus given is "Unlike its bestselling source material, Diary of a Wimpy Kid fails to place a likable protagonist at the center of its middle-school humor – and its underlying message is drowned out as a result."^[12] It also holds a "mixed or average" rating of 56 at Metacritic, based on 26 reviews.^[13] Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing "It's nimble, bright and funny. It doesn't dumb down. It doesn't patronize. It knows something about human nature."^[14] Glenn Whipp of the Associated Press was less positive, saying, "In transferring the clean, precise humor of Kinney's illustrations and prose to the big-screen, the material loses just a bit of its charm."^[15] At the Movies host David Stratton gave the film one star while co-host Margaret Pomeranz gave it half a star. Stratton called the film "tiresome" and said there was "nothing remotely interesting in Thor Freudenthal's direction or the screenplay." Pomeranz disliked the character of Greg Heffley, saying "I really thought he was unpleasant. I did not want to spend time with him. I could not wait for the end of this film."^[16]

Box office

The film opened in second place at the weekend box office grossing $22.1 million, behind Alice in Wonderland.^[17]

Despite a lack of distinctive marketing, Diary of a Wimpy Kid drew a decent crowd, opening to $22.1 million on approximately 3,400 screens at 3,077 sites, notably beating out the heavily hyped The Bounty Hunter. It was the biggest start ever for a non-animated, non-fantasy children's book adaptation. Diary of a Wimpy Kid grossed more in its first three days than other film adaptions to children's novels like How to Eat Fried Worms and Hoot grossed in their entire runs.^[17] The film grossed $63,003,625 in North America and $11,695,602 in other territories for a worldwide total of $75,699,227.^[18]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
2011	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	Favorite Movie	Diary of a Wimpy Kid	Nominated
2011	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor	Zachary Gordon	Nominated	[19]
		Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor	Robert Capron	Nominated
		Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor	Alex Ferris	Nominated
		Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress	Laine MacNeil	Nominated
		Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Ensemble Cast	Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Chloë Grace Moretz, Laine MacNeil, Grayson Russell, Karan Brar, and Alex Ferris	Nominated

References

External links

• Official website
• Cartoon Network's Diary of a Wimpy Kid promotional website
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid at the Internet Movie Database
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid at AllMovie
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid at Box Office Mojo
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid at Rotten Tomatoes

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules The Last Straw Dog Days The Ugly Truth Cabin Fever The Third Wheel Hard Luck The Long Haul Old School Category See also: Characters Greg Heffley Film series Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules, Dog Days

Films directed by Thor Freudenthal Hotel for Dogs (2009) Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)