In this third installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, our hero Greg finds himself going into summer vacation before he starts high school.
So Greg must endure the lessons most of us can relate to at that age: We’re different than our parents but also the same, our siblings can be bothersome, losing your trunks in the pool can be embarrassing and getting that girl’s phone number is top priority.
Although Greg’s got big plans for his summer vacation, his dad might have something else to say about that. Will Greg ever finish his favourite video game? Will he survive having his brains scrambled at the amusement park? Will he win the girl?
We say, “It’s funny, smart and kid friendly.”
TAYLOR: I hadn’t seen the first two films, so I didn’t have anything to go on, really. I presumed from the title that the series was based on a quiet, shy kid, perhaps who gets picked on. What I found with Greg was a pretty typical 12-to-13 year old, at least in my experience. He did seem to be a bit over-cautious, I was glad that there wasn’t a bully.
HOWE: I too didn’t know what to think about the Wimpy films either, so I did a little homework and watched the first two on Netflix and I can say I was pleasantly surprised. I found them very entertaining and was looking forward to this latest one. Diary of Wimpy Kid: Dog Days didn’t let me down.
TAYLOR: Gold star for you, Mr. Howe, catching up on the Wimpy Kid series in your spare time. I’ve done that in order to review other film sequels, but not this one. I asked my 12-year-old niece Ana-Marie if she had heard of the Wimpy Kid stories, she said, in a text, “Yeah. What about them?” I said, “I don’t know anything about them, would you like to go to the movie with me?” She said, “No.” At that point I thought I might be in trouble, but I found myself smiling throughout the whole film. Dog Days is a successful, effective, safe little film.
HOWE: I find the connection between Greg and his older brother Rodrick very realistic, the love-hate relationship for instance. I can remember fighting with my three brothers all the time growing up but I knew they would be there for me if I needed them.
TAYLOR: I found the whole thing a bit cartoony, as if the actors we’re expected to overact a bit, but it still seemed to work well enough.
HOWE: I don’t think Dog Days is the best one of the three. It did make me smile a lot and the 90 minutes or so flew past. They should be able to get a couple more films out of this franchise before people get bored of it or when Greg isn’t wimpy anymore.
––Taylor gives Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days 3 dog dish misnomers out of 5.
–– Howe gives it 3 broken tents out of 5.
The film is currently showing at the Galaxy Cinemas, Vernon.
–– Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are movie critics living in Vernon, B.C.
