Why Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Is The Best In The Series
The perfect family film about brotherhood.
The Wimpy Kid movies started off with the very successful launch of its books.
Jeff Kinney manages to capture what it is to be a teenager with only two functioning brain cells and no brawn.
The book series and the movies are as family-oriented as they can get as it revolves around the drama created around family and friends.
The best way to describe Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules in particular is an organic family mess that does not feel too exaggerated with its humor nor too stiff with its dialogue with a perfect blend of brotherly chaos.
The story inspires not instructs
The book is used for the base story of the movie and does not act as its instructor to make every scene play out just the way the book describes it as.
Everyone knows that copying exactly what is in the book to the big screen not only makes it extremely predictable but also makes the studio take a truckload of unnecessary liberties for the film to feel like a movie rather than just another chapter in the book.
The performance of the actors was a major help in this as Devon Bostick and Steve Zahn seemed to have given their absolute best for their roles as the corrupted older brother and the tired father.
Any of their scenes were a treat to the fans of the books as they fit with their characters seamlessly.
Classic scenes made even classier
Anyone who follows the Wimpy Kids series would know some of the most favorite aspects of the series revolve around the "Cheese Touch" and Rodrick's journey with his band - Löded Diper.
Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules delivers on having the focus revolving around the bond between Greg and Rodrick while having the rest of the family and friend drama take a backseat when the two take the scene.
The scene where the two brothers are set to hide the fact that one of the doors in their home now has graffiti on it really sold the chemistry and humor that this film has to offer as they recklessly exchange doors and make a pact to never tell the truth about it.
The best representation of brotherhood
This film has one of the best brotherhood bond stories to tell with its foot set in somewhat of a grounded reality with Rodrick's secret party when the parents leave the house, with Greg desperately wanting to fit in with the "cool" kids, with Rowley just being pulled along for the ride as he tolerates his friend and his antics.
You never sign up for anything at school. You fly below the radar! That way you never raise anybody's expectations.
The elder brother and his tips on life come from a place of being the firstborn. Having to go through all the wrong doors so that he can label them for his younger brother.
Even after Greg betrays his elder brother by breaking the pact made between the two of them for withholding the truth about the door from their family, he still attempts to make things right by sacrificing the self-inflicted pride he carries with him throughout the film.
Cringe made worthy of entertainment
Of course Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules would have its fair share of cringe-worthy moments. That is the nature of how most Wimpy Kid stories play out.
The challenge faced is to somehow make that cringe justified for its existence by making it entertaining.
Many films crash into the cringe category by accident, a few do it on purpose, and even fewer succeed at making it a success at being entertaining.
Having an overly wholesome mom who is set on cramping the "style" of her children and the main character set on protecting and increasing his reputation is bound to make some cringe moments.
The only saving grace that the film provides from this is how much Rodrick relishes the situation his younger brother puts himself into.
The smugness is something we can all relate to as we witness our friends or family do something irrecoverable to their image.
Dylan Jobe