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

49%

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

Gael A

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a profound, unique, entertaining and intelligent film. It follows the narrative rule of the hero's journey and is engaging. You sometimes feel angry and sometimes sorry for the protagonist, making it engaging. Highly recommended and a worthy cinematic work.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a surprisingly good film, why is this only at 54%

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

Full Review

Cole C

i love rowley he is a cutie and licks spegiti

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/07/25

Full Review

Audience Member

The fun and imagination from the bestselling book diary of a wimpy kid really hits although the movie showed it was quite cheap but it was definitely worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/21/24

Full Review

Alexis R

a perfect adaptation. This movie is a fantastic adaptation of the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. Zachary Gordon perfectly captures Greg Heffley's awkward charm and relentless pursuit of popularity. The supporting cast is equally strong, and the film successfully translates the book's humor to the screen. It's funny and humourous. A great movie, highly recommended!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Empty and dull film, weak humor and irritating and forced characters. One of the only good things about this film is that it is short, because it is very weak and leaves something to be desired.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/24

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

53%

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

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Alice Reigns For Third Straight Weekend

Critics Consensus: Wimpy Kid Gets Picked On

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
Screenwriter: Jeff Filgo, Jackie Filgo, Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Color Force
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