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Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

58m2021Canada, United States of America
AnimationComédieFamilial

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Detailed parental analysis

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a animated comedy with a light and deliberately irreverent tone, adapted from the famous graphic novel series. The plot follows Greg Heffley, an awkward and ambitious middle schooler, as he navigates the pitfalls of school social life whilst sometimes sacrificing friendship for the sake of his reputation. The film is aimed at school-age children, around 8 to 12 years old, and relies on offbeat humour and immediate identification with its characters.

Underlying Values

This is where the real parental question lies. Greg is the main protagonist but rarely a role model: he lies, manipulates his best friend Rowley to serve his own interests, and puts his popularity before loyalty. The narrative does not explicitly endorse these behaviours, and consequences eventually catch up with Greg, but the film remains complicit with his self-centredness for a long time. Individualism and obsession with social status are the narrative drivers of the film, without the story taking care to deconstruct them clearly before the end. It is a concrete point to raise with a child: is the film funny because Greg is right, or because he is clearly wrong?

Violence

Violence is present recurrently on a comic and slapstick register, without graphic violence or blood. Scenes include children being jostled, a pupil dragged by his ankles down a corridor, another locked in a locker, Greg hit in the face, older teenagers pursuing and targeting him with water balloons. Rowley breaks his arm in a scene involving Greg directly. This violence stays within the codes of schoolyard cartoon humour, but its frequency and the fact that it is often played for laughs can be concerning depending on the child's sensitivity. School bullying is never treated seriously: it is comic backdrop rather than a subject matter.

Language

Scatological humour is omnipresent: jokes about bogeys, faeces, toilets without doors and other embarrassing bodily situations. The register remains childish and does not slip into adult vulgarity, but parents who find this type of humour uninspiring will be forewarned: it makes up a good portion of the film's comedic material.

Strengths

The film has real cultural recognition in its favour: the series it is adapted from is read by millions of children worldwide, and the adaptation faithfully restores the spirit of the graphic novels, with a tone close to the authentic concerns of middle schoolers. The short length (under an hour) makes it accessible to children who do not yet have the stamina for longer formats. On the other hand, the animation is of modest quality and the character design lacks visual generosity. Narratively, the film offers no particular depth and merely strings together situations without any real emotional construction. Its main merit remains the immediate identification that children of the same age as Greg can feel towards the anxieties of the transition to middle school.

Age recommendation and discussion points

The film is accessible from age 8 without major reservations about content, but warrants conversation after viewing for 8 to 11 year-olds. Two concrete angles to explore with the child: why does Greg treat his friend this way, and is being popular really worth the price he is willing to pay? These are questions that children of this age often grapple with themselves, and the film, despite its limitations, offers a concrete entry point for discussing them.

Synopsis

Greg Heffley is a scrawny but ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous – he just has to survive middle school first.

About this title

Format
Feature film
Year
2021
Runtime
58m
Countries
Canada, United States of America
Original language
EN
Directed by
Swinton O. Scott III
Main cast
Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, Hunter Dillon, Erica Cerra, Chris Diamantopoulos, Gracen Newton, Christian Convery, Jessica Mikayla Adams, Cyrus Arnold, Braxton Baker
Studios
Walt Disney Pictures, Bardel Entertainment

Content barometer

  • Violence
    2/5
    Moderate
  • Fear
    1/5
    Mild
  • Sexuality
    0/5
    None
  • Language
    2/5
    Moderate
  • Narrative complexity
    0/5
    Simple
  • Adult themes
    0/5
    None

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Values conveyed