Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
(2017)A wimp will rise.
In the fourth film based on Jeff Kinney's novel series, Greg tricks his family so he can attend a gamer convention. Features an all new cast.... More
Greg (Jason Drucker) convinces his family to take a road trip to attend his great grandmother's 90th birthday as a cover for what he really wants: attend a nearby gamer convention. Unsurprisingly, things do not go according to plan and Heffley family antics ensue.Hide
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Directed by David Bowers ('Flushed Away', 'Astro Boy', 'Diary of a Wimpy King: Dog Days')
Starring Jason Drucker, Charlie Wright, Alicia Silverstone, Tom Everett Scott, Dylan Walters, Wyatt Walters, Chris Coppola, Joshua Hoover
Written by Adam Sztykiel (based on the novel 'The Long Haul' by Jeff Kinney)
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
The Press Reviews
For once, it'll be the grownups asking the kids: "Are we there yet?" Full Review
It's mostly carried off with aplomb, particularly by Charlie Wright, who looks like a slightly less evil Ezra Miller and gives a genuinely funny performance as permanently perplexed metalhead Rodrick. Full Review
A dirge of unfunny scatological material, techno-anxiety and child endangerment masquerading as familial bonding. Full Review
Another forgettable film. Full Review
An amiable, fast-paced entry that should win over fans. Full Review
Despite the casting overhaul, it's the same old Wimpy Kid in that it still hasn't figured out how to make its characters as likeable or knowingly engaging as Kinney's simple line drawings and text. Full Review
The ratio of giggles to groans runs about 50/50. Full Review
My two under-10s were laughing like drains at regular intervals. Full Review
BY Adam Fresco Flicks Writer
The fourth instalment of the Wimpy Kid saga delivers a sequel of diminishing returns. Despite a new cast (the original actors now too old for their roles), this feels anything but fresh. Predictable plotting, clunky dialogue, half-hearted characterisation, gross gags and tired jokes add up to a lacklustre affair, one that does Jeff Kinney’s books no favours.... More
The first three Wimpy Kid movies were fun, if fluffy, entertainment for kids, but this feels like a desperate cash bid. Dull, uninspired and, in my 11-year-old’s words “way-way off the books” on which it’s based.
Greg’s array of kooky friends are barely represented, whilst Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott, (as Greg’s parents), and Charlie Wright (as Greg’s prankster brother, Roderick), all wrestle with thin material - and lose.
With pretty much every gag stolen from other movies, and punchlines you can see miles away, it’s a seen-it-all-before road trip to nowhere, as the Heffley bunch set-off for their grandma’s 90th birthday bash, and teenage Greg (Jason Drucker) schemes to divert them to a video game convention.
Despite scattershot gross-out gags, fun but infrequent animations based on the book illustrations, and a few mildly amusing family scenes, hilarity generally does not ensue. This Wimpy Kid chapter might provide entertainment for undemanding kids, but accompanying adults will be left longing for the end of a film that feels like a very, very long haul indeed.Hide
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