Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Play trailer

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

PG

Released Mar 19, 2010

1h 32m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

54%

Tomatometer

107 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Middle school is not an enjoyable experience for preteen Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) but a horrid ordeal of social land-mines that he must bear. To do so, he devises schemes to win him the recognition and status he feels he deserves -- all of which fail miserably. Greg chronicles his misadventures, thoughts and opinions in a diary to prepare for the day that he will no longer have to put up with nonsense.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Unlike its bestselling source material, Diary of a Wimpy Kid fails to place a likable protagonist at the center of its middle-school humor -- and its underlying message is drowned out as a result.

Read Critics Reviews

Derek Adams

Time Out

Rated: 1/5

Nov 16, 2011

Full Review

Philippa Hawker

The Age (Australia)

Conveys, in a good-humoured, sharply observed way, the small, painful cruelties and unpredictable rules of early adolescence, and it celebrates awkwardness without feeling the need to convert it into cheap triumph.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 23, 2010

Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

The film retains much of the original humour, some of it well executed. It's reasonably faithful to the spirit of the books, probably because Kinney is the executive producer, but it's by no means equal to his originals.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 23, 2010

Full Review

Michael Leader

Den of Geek

Sadly, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid isn’t a modest, Alan Bennett-style slice of ho-hum life, centered around a shy teenager’s weekend job at a Wimpy Bar in Lewisham. No, this is a big, brassy, colourful, and American, kids’ flick.

Rated: 2/5

May 7, 2024

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Good enough for any age. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 19, 2022

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Charleston City Paper

The movie is funny, endearing, and true enough to the life-is-pain spirit of the books.

Jan 23, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Jack G

Loved this movie, it's a great adaptation of the book and the actors are fantastic as these characters!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/16/25

Full Review

Carson H

I was drawn to this movie after watching an excerpt of the movie in a YouTube clip. I regret not watching these movies when they were in theaters. The score and music is great, the casting is even better, and the movie leaves relatable moments from childhood that most adults can also relate to in one form or another. The only part that confused me was the addition of Chloe Grace Moretz's character who was not present in the books. She is mentioned in this film but never spoken about again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/28/25

Full Review

Dani G

Ok, not great. It's a well done film but I think it lacks a little spark

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

Full Review

Madam D

Kids probably enjoy this film. I didn't.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

Full Review

Fleegle the B

A classic that's funny, memorable, and iconic

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

Full Review

Jayce M

A movie that my whole family loves. A true classic full of humor.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/28/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Thor Freudenthal

Director

Zachary Gordon

Greg Heffley

Robert Capron

Rowley Jefferson

Rachael Harris

Susan Heffley

Devon Bostick

Rodrick Heffley

Chloë Grace Moretz

Angie Steadman

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

48%

62%

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Watchlist

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

52%

63%

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Furry Vengeance

8%

32%

Furry Vengeance

Watchlist

Mr. Popper's Penguins

48%

53%

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Watchlist

Marmaduke

9%

42%

Marmaduke

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Middle school is not an enjoyable experience for preteen Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) but a horrid ordeal of social land-mines that he must bear. To do so, he devises schemes to win him the recognition and status he feels he deserves -- all of which fail miserably. Greg chronicles his misadventures, thoughts and opinions in a diary to prepare for the day that he will no longer have to put up with nonsense.

Director: Thor Freudenthal
Producer: Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Ethan Smith
Screenwriter: Jeff Filgo, Jackie Filgo, Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Dune Entertainment
Rating: PG (Some Rude Humor|Language)
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $64.0M
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS

Most Popular at Home Now