Why Parents Should Watch "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" with the Family

Looking for a feel-good and family-friendly film this April? 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. movie’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid is based on a bestseller by Jeff Kinney about a wise-cracking boy named Greg Heffley. In the movie, Greg Heffley is immersed into the new world of middle school (the equivalent of grade six to seven, here in the Philippines, or the grades that bridge elementary to high school), where pint-sized kids share the hallways with kids who are bigger, badder, and already shaving. Despite this, Greg has one goal in mind: to land the school yearbook’s list of most popular kids in school. Greg records the woes of growing up and trying to belong in his diary.
 
Colorful Characters
 
What’s so engaging about Diary of a Wimpy Kid is its mix of animated and diverse characters which help make each day of Greg’s life so fun and at the same time such a struggle. He has a punk rocker for an older brother who constantly bullies and belittles him, his ever-chipper best friend Rowley Jefferson who Greg thinks has no clue what it means to be cool, haughty Patty Farrell whom he reduced into a puddle of tears in kindergarten, Fregley Farley, the boy who gets suspended at least once a year for poor hygiene, Chirag Gupta, the Indian boy who fills Greg in on everything, and Angie, the witty photographer from the school paper. There’s never a dull moment in the movie as each of these characters add a dose of merriment to the story.
 
Who’s Cool in School
 
Although Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a comedy film, and may tend to intentionally exaggerate what it’s like in middle school, parents are able to get a glimpse of the clique system, discrimination and labeling among students. The athletic, smart and talented people are more often than not more popular than the rest. But what’s great about the movie is that it presents the peculiarities and eccentricities of the protagonists as what makes them unique and worth noticing. Parents get to see as well the extent kids will go to to belong or to stand out.
 
Family and Friendship
 
Laugh out loud and shed a tear or two with Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s absolutely hilarious and touching moments where Greg’s family (or most of his family anyway) show their loving support for him and how  real friends bring out the best in him and make him realize just how cool being himself really is.
 
Catch “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” as it hits cinemas on April 3.