Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
for some mild rude humor and mischief.
Reviewed by: Brian C. Johnson
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
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| Primary Audience: | Kids Family |
| Genre: | Family Kids Comedy Adaptation Sequel |
| Length: | 1 hr. 36 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2011 |
| USA Release: |
March 25, 2011 (wide—3,100+ theaters) DVD: June 21, 2011 |
| Featuring |
Steve Zahn—Frank Heffley Rachael Harris—Susan Heffley Devon Bostick—Rodrick Heffley Zachary Gordon—Greg Heffley See all » |
| Director | David Bowers—“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul” (2017), “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” (2012), “Astro Boy” (2009), “Flushed Away” (2006) |
| Producer |
Nina Jacobson—producer Jeff Kinney—executive producer Bradford Simpson—producer Ethan Smith—co-producer |
| Distributor |
 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company |
The latest exploits of Greg and Rowley in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” are the sequel to the 2010 cinematic adaptation of the best-selling book series of the same name by Jeff Kinney.
Greg (Zachary Gordon) is a year older, but is still trying to find his place in the middle school pecking order. Unlike his best friend, Rowley (Robert Capron), who is content being himself, Greg doesn’t particularly care for being a no-name and will do whatever he can to move up a few notches on the popularity charts—even if that means being a bit of a bully to Rowley. He is repeatedly rebuffed by the kids around him, but none more so than by his own big brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick).
These two take sibling rivalry to all time high, forcing their parents Susan and Frank Heffley (Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn) to try alternative measures to keep them from killing each other.
There are jokes and sight gags, and Greg’s middle school hijinks are likely to entertain teens and tweens.
All in all, the cinematography and acting is good. The writers and directors did not try “too hard” to make it more than it needs to be. This film is developmentally appropriate for its age group and is still funny and entertaining. Even the scenes that could have gone “too far” were tempered; one particular scene comes to mind. Against their parents’ wishes, Rodrick and Greg throw a party while their parents are away for the night; instead of the usual movie fare of alcohol and other drugs, at this party, soda and snacks flow like a river.
There weren’t enough scenes featuring Fregley (Grayson Russell), my favorite character from the original.
Violence: Minor / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
The only two things I took offense at was the part where Greg is filming Rowley singing some worldly song about partying and getting “tipsy” and when Rodrick asks his mother for her eyeliner, just before going onstage, and she gives it to him.
I felt like the Christian Answers reviewer hit the nail on the head in this review. Thank you Christian Answers for this valuable service you provide.
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
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But, that said, this movie was, frankly, a lesson in deceit from beginning to end. I would rather have my kids watching a movie with nudity, at least God made the body… “Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2” is a lesson in how to deceive the parents and teachers; one major plot element is that the irresponsible older brother is left in charge, and has a party, in which there is minor damage to the house. About half the film, the two boys are trying to cover this up. When mom finds out, she overlooks the blatant disobedience, because the boys are “getting along so much better,” and conceals it from the dad.
Greg spends a significant amount of energy on attempting to frustrate and humiliate a boy who is smaller and physically weaker. Rodrick teaches Greg to be lazy, to cheat at school, to lie to his parents, and to strive for the lowest possible achievement, without actually failing. As an adult, this may be a funny movie, but to the minds of my eight year old twins, it is a lesson on bad behavior. I can not, in good conscience, recommend this film for family viewing.
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3½
There were some admittedly funny moments in the film, especially when the mother dances to the brother’s band, but, overall, it was a bad movie. I love good humor of all sorts, but cruelty, rebellion, disrespect and deception should never be made funny. Ever. It makes it so much easier for kids to accept and adopt that behavior. The books could be funny, and, while they certainly are not classics of Christian Children’s literature, they are not explicitly bad, as I would say this movie is.
The only redeeming quality I could see what it provided an opportunity to teach my child to question what is shown on screen, especially if it is specifically designed for kids, and thus extra appealing. Ugh. I regret spending a dollar at the Redbox for this loser of a movie.
Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
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My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½