Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

It's nimble, bright and funny. It doesn't dumb down. It doesn't patronize. It knows something about human nature.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa 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.

Chicago Reader J.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.

Orlando Sentinel Roger 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.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

A likable movie for kids that will make adults chuckle as well because of the movie's key ingredient -- wit.

Variety Lael Loewenstein

It's a spry, fluffy comedy.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha 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.

Austin Chronicle Marc 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.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

A passable adaptation of Kinney's novel, but no replacement for the real thing. Read the book, then see the movie.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

The movie has workmanlike, uninspired direction from Thor Freudenthal (Hotel for Dogs), who gets an especially lovely performance from Capron.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

An above-average and sometimes surprising kid movie.

Washington Post Dan 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.

USA Today Claudia 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.

Boxoffice Magazine Pete 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.

Village Voice Ella Taylor

Sweet and funny at either end, but in between, it sags with endless repetition of gross bodily functions.

Portland Oregonian Shawn 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.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

The writing is funny during individual moments, but the cumulative result is a bit depressing, with a surprising amount of negativity.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole

Too much diary, not enough movie.

New York Daily News Joe 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,

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe 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.

Chicago Tribune Michael 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.

NPR Scott 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.

Time Out New York Lisa Rosman

This wisecracking saga of tween angst largely avoids the gimmicky saccharine aftertaste that’s typical of the genre.

The New York Times A.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.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Diary of a Wimpy Kid the movie returns Kinney’s tale to live-action reality, and the party’s over.

Arizona Republic Bill Goodykoontz

A mean-spirited little movie, investing its limited charms in all the wrong characters.