Diary of A Wimpy Kid is based on the bestselling book. Greg Heffley is just entering middle school. He believes that middle school is the dumbest idea ever invented and that he should be the most popular kid. He concocts multiple schemes to work in his favor, all of which go awry. All this he writes down and as he says "this a journal, not a diary."
I know absolutely nothing about the book other than the title and the fun looking pencil drawing that graces the cover, yet for some reason it was decided that this book should be adapted as a live action feature. From the beginning it feels as if the film is supposed to be somewhat reminiscent of middle school. The problem is it doesn't. The characters are more like caricatures of different stereotypes with a young egotistical kid at its center. Even the adults are portrayed in a light that gives them no depth. The characters are shallow from beginning to end with only a single purpose behind each persona.
At the same time, perhaps the film wasn't supposed to feel like middle school and purposely take all those stereotypes and play with them to the extreme for comic effect. Except that there is no comic effect. Nothing feels funny. Instead I was groaning with anticipation for the end of the film. Perhaps if I would have at least cared for the lead I might have rolled my eyes a little less. Instead, I agonizingly sat through the rest of the film, wishing I would have been watching a film that was truly reminiscent of those painful years. I did myself have a terrible first year in middle school and it's impossible for me to imagine the ridiculous antics that occur in this film.
And on top of all this there is a short story about a piece of moldy cheese on pavement that no one will pick up out of fear. There was a shot of that cheese almost every twenty minutes. I started to wonder if the story was really about the cheese.
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