Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: March 19, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It's nimble, bright and funny. It doesn't dumb down. It doesn't patronize. It knows something about human nature. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Does a great job of being in two places at once: In the head and gangly bodies of kids, and in the hearts of those of us who have survived grades 6-8. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
It's eminently suitable for children, fully inhabiting their world and finding real laughs there without resorting to sentiment, condescension, or snarky in-jokes for the adults. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
Crass, gross and juvenile in all the best (and worst) ways, Diary is aimed squarely at a tween "don't touch the cheese" demographic. And if you don't get it, maybe you're just too old for a good booger joke. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A likable movie for kids that will make adults chuckle as well because of the movie's key ingredient -- wit. Read full review
70
VarietyLael Loewenstein
It's a spry, fluffy comedy. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
For all its ridiculousness, its enthusiastic comic excess, and its fart/booger/gross-out jokes, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid's heart is firmly in the right place. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Easily the smartest, snarkiest, and most honest depiction of that tweenage wasteland known as the "middle school years" that this former wimpy freak and geek has come across since having survived the daily derision afforded those of us who chose to spend our lunch periods perusing J.R.R. Tolkien, playing Dungeons & Dragons, or just hiding out in the boys' room. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The movie has workmanlike, uninspired direction from Thor Freudenthal (Hotel for Dogs), who gets an especially lovely performance from Capron. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
An above-average and sometimes surprising kid movie. Read full review
63
Washington PostDan Kois
Kids who realize they're fully ordinary -- that is, pretty much all of them -- will be pleased to see a world they recognize on the big screen. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
A passable adaptation of Kinney's novel, but no replacement for the real thing. Read the book, then see the movie. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
"Who wants to see a movie about a kid who's stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons?" Thanks to an endearing cast of characters and an energetic, if light, comic story, we do. Read full review
60
EmpireIan Freer
Fun, funny and affectionate, though it packs the emotional wallop of an undernourished high school nerd. Read full review
60
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Sweet and funny at either end, but in between, it sags with endless repetition of gross bodily functions. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazinePete Hammond
Gordon is bit too good looking to really be the Greg Heffley the books detail, but he's not obnoxious in the role and will appeal to the target 'tween set. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
This Diary of a Wimpy kid is too often dull, unappealing and clumsy, hobbled by unnecessary changes and inventions that add no charm, energy or, truly, point. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
The kiddie audience will laugh a few times, but it would take an electron microscope to find an original idea or joke in this entire cartoonish movie. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Kids may love the movie, and even kids who love the books may like it. For me, though, an astonishing percentage of the books' appeal has vanished. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
This year-in-the-life comedy will appeal mostly to its target audience -- the boys of middle school, USA -- and frankly, that's all it needs. Who else would appreciate the idiocy of social pressure, Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
The writing is funny during individual moments, but the cumulative result is a bit depressing, with a surprising amount of negativity. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
Too much diary, not enough movie. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
There is nothing wrong with the story itself, but the tone is grating and the pacing sluggish. Episodes that might be howlingly funny on the page turn weirdly gross and sadistic on screen. Read full review
40
NPRScott Tobias
On the page, it's a funny little snapshot of the preteen mind, ruled by prevailing forces of fear and aggression, yet still given to silliness and lowbrow yuks. In a movie, however, Greg's thoughts are made painfully literal, so instead of being a reflection of his hyperactive imagination, they're grotesque cartoons standing in for real life. Read full review
40
Time OutLisa Rosman
This wisecracking saga of tween angst largely avoids the gimmicky saccharine aftertaste that's typical of the genre. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Diary of a Wimpy Kid the movie returns Kinney's tale to live-action reality, and the party's over. Read full review
30
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
A mean-spirited little movie, investing its limited charms in all the wrong characters. Read full review
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