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"DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES" (2011) (Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick) (PG) QUICK TAKE: Comedy: A seventh grader must deal with his older brother tormenting him, all while trying to catch the eye of the new girl at school in this second installment of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. PLOT: Things seem to be looking up for Greg Heffley (ZACHARY GORDON) and his friends Rowley Jefferson (ROBERT CAPRON) and Chirag Gupta (KARAN BRAR). After all, they're now starting the seventh grade and thus no longer are the youngest and smallest kids in school, although goofy Fregley (GRAYSON RUSSELL) doesn't make their class proud, while Patty (LAINE MacNEIL) is still Greg's arch-nemesis. But his attention has zeroed in on Holly Hills (PEYTON LIST), the new girl in school and he's set his sights on her, despite the likes of Chirag and Greg's older brother, Rodrick (DEVON BOSTICK), saying she won't be interested in his kind. That's not unusual, however, for Rodrick, who's regularly tormented his younger sibling for years, with their parents, Susan (RACHAEL HARRIS) and Frank (STEVE ZAHN), just wishing they'd get along, all while the boys' 3-year-old brother, Manny (CONNOR & OWEN FIELDING), watches all of the antics. Rodrick's in a garage band known as Loded Diper, and he's just convinced guitarist Bill (FRAN KRANZ) to join the group, much to the concern of the adult Heffleys. As he pursues that and performing in the town's talent show, Greg does what he can to deal with his older brother's behavior toward him, all while hanging out with Rowley and hoping to impress Holly however he can. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Those who are fans of the first film probably will, and since it's aimed at the tween/early teen group, others might be interested as well. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some mild rude humor and mischief. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ZACHARY GORDON plays a seventh grader who feels a bit more comfortable in his skin at school now that he's no longer in the youngest group there, but he still has his share of insecurities. Even so, he's determined to catch the eye of new girl at school Holly, but must contend his friends and family embarrassing him, and that's particularly true of Rodrick. He ends up lying to and/or withholding the truth from his parents. DEVON BOSTICK plays his older brother, a drummer in a heavy rock band where he wears eyeliner as part of the act. Like many an older sibling, he torments his younger brother in various ways, and lies to his parents, including about having a party at the house while they're gone. Deep down, however, he seems to care to some degree about Greg. RACHAEL HARRIS and STEVE ZAHN play their parents who try to cope with the usual trappings of parenthood, including lying kids who don't always get along. That's a particular point of concern for her as she writes a newspaper column about parenting. CONNOR & OWEN FIELDING play their youngest son, a 3-year-old. ROBERT CAPRON plays Greg's best friend, still stuck in more of a juvenile and childish mindset than Greg. He's preparing for his big magic act in the local talent show. PEYTON LIST plays the new girl at school who's caught Greg's eye and commiserates with him about older siblings. KARAN BRAR plays Greg and Rowley's friend who they pretend isn't present upon his return from a trip to India, thus irritating him. GRAYSON RUSSELL plays the nerdy kid in school who most other students try to avoid. LAINE MacNEIL plays Greg's arch-nemesis at school. FRAN KRANZ plays a clichéd rocker guitarist who Rodrick convinces to join the band. He sports some arm tattoos and tries to kick Rodrick out of the band. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-rated comedy. There's no explicit profanity, but a few religious phrases and other colorful ones are uttered. A boy is seen in both his underwear (including running around in public that way) and a small bathing suit, while a little bit of cleavage is present. Slapstick style material occurs, and that and many other bits of behavior might prove to be enticing for some kids to imitate. A cheesy horror film featuring a mobile, severed foot might be unsettling to the very youngest of viewers, even if the material is played for laughs, while another scene briefly takes place inside a dark basement. Crude humor is present, as are bad attitudes and tense family material. Some alcohol is present as are related song lyrics, while it's unknown what teens are drinking from plastic cups at an unsupervised party. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there are brief and partial strobe effects at a roller rink early in the film. Later, there's some slight flashing from Greg using a flashlight in a dark basement. Even later, there are some flashes of lightning at night in a cheesy horror movie Greg and Rowley watch. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some camera movement from roller skating POV footage. Later, a scene features some quick camera swish-pans back and forth. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Rowley mouths lyrics to the Ke$ha song "Tick Tock" that include "Before I leave brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack (Daniels)" and "Pulling up to parties trying to get a little bit tipsy." Teens drink from plastic cups at an unsupervised party, but we don't know what they're drinking. Frank, Susan, and her two editors have wine in front of them with dinner. At night, the school's coach drops a six-pack (we don't know if it's beer or soda) in a parking lot after being startled. BLOOD/GROSS STUFF Fregley comments on where food can come from, and we see imagined or flashback views of a slice of pizza in the trash, a girl sneezing on her slice, and a boy getting up after sitting on a slice. As a result, Greg and Rowley spit out their chewed up food, with Greg finding chewing gum in his. Fregley then takes that gum and places it behind his ear for future chewing. Rodrick tells his mom he showered and then holds his arm pit up to her face for her to smell. Rodrick's band is named "Loded Diper" (loaded diaper). As they get out of the van to go into church, Manny yells out "poopy" and points to Greg's clothed butt where there's a brown stain. We then see that it's from a candy bar he sat on, and Frank tries to wipe it off, but Greg says he's not going in there with a poop stain on his pants. That's followed by him entering with his mom's sweater around his waist, but Rodrick steps on a dragging sleeve and the sweater pulls away. A girl in church shouts out "Poop!" and "He pooped his pants" as we see the stain again, with Greg, horrified, stating it's just chocolate. To prove that, he rubs his finger on the stain, and then puts the finger in his mouth, grossing out everyone there. Rodrick tells a girl their band plays their music so loud that ears bleed, causing her to react with "Ewww." We see a DVD cover of the movie "The Foot" that shows a severed and seemingly slightly bloody foot. We then see clips from the cheesy movie, where a couple goes through a house at night during a storm, with the severed foot then hopping away. We then see the woman in bed and the foot appearing between hers, followed by that on her face (all with cheap looking movie effects). Susan tells Manny that she has to go potty. Bill and then Rodrick state, "Somebody farted" just to hear that phrase go through the band's reverb machine. Rodrick fakes like he's going to be sick, leans over into the van as if heaving, and then pops up with some fake vomit. He and Greg then have fun in a montage of putting that on other people's cars in a parking lot and then hiding, awaiting the reaction. Rodrick and Greg end up fleeing the school coach at night and end up in a trash dumpster where a mouse then comes down from inside Greg's sleeve. After getting his diary back from his brother in a senior citizens center, but realizing he's only in his underwear, Greg darts into a bathroom, not realizing it's the women's room. He then sees clothing drop down around a woman's feet in an adjacent stall, but doesn't see or hear anything else. During a magic act, pigeon excrement lands on Rowley. Later, some of the same lands on Patty's head. Rodrick's band sings a song with the repeated lyrics, "Exploded diaper." DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Throughout the film, Rodrick embarrasses (or tries to) Greg in various ways. Some kids rearrange letters on an outdoor message board to read "More lame 7th graders." We see a flashback to boys in swimsuits laughing at Greg for being in a tiny, Speedo type suit. We see a flashback to Greg having been wrapped in toilet paper in a bathroom stall. About Greg and his friends, an older kid announces, "Dork alert." Chirag admits that he Googled Holly and her family to find out information about them (some might view that as an invasion of privacy). Rodrick says Greg has no chance with Holly. Seeing Fregley approaching her, a girl runs the other way. Susan pays Rodrick and Greg with play money to get along with each other, where they can then exchange that for real money. Rodrick wants to cash out right away, and we later see that he's gathered up old board games to have more such play money. Greg and Patty, who don't like each other, struggle (hip to hip) to sit in a seat in class. Rodrick refers to Rowley as a can of chunky cheese. Greg lies to his mom about using the computer for school work. We then see a flashback to him telling his grandfather (at his birthday party), "That is, if you're alive next year." We then see his mom wanting Greg to lie to someone on the phone about her not being there to take the call. Rodrick purposefully steps on a dragging sleeve of a sweater around Greg's waist in church, all to reveal an embarrassing chocolate stain on the seat of his pants. Despite his parents telling him no one can come over while they're gone for the weekend, Rodrick immediately sends out the word that there's a party at the house. He then asks Greg to go get some chairs down in the basement, but does so only to lock him down there. After an accidental bump causes a teen to spill his beverage on the front of a girl's shirt, Greg makes it seem like another kid is responsible. We then hear the off-screen hit of that boy that causes some stuff to go flying through the room. Rodrick lies to his dad about nothing have gone on while the parents were away (when, in fact, a wild party had been thrown). Upon Chirag's return from India, Greg pretends that Chirag isn't there and can't be seen, all to elicit laughs from classmates. This continues for several other scenes. Greg and Rowley watch a horror movie during a sleepover rather than the benign video Greg's mom got for them. Rodrick lies to his mom about the bathroom door (that he and Greg switched after a party) never having a lock. She then goes to ask Greg and he immediately cracks, but then pleads for her not to punish Rodrick as the siblings are now getting along. She reluctantly complies and thus doesn't tell Frank. Rodrick gives Greg a set of rules to live by. They include 1) Don't be good at something you don't want to do (we then see them washing the car but using dirty rags that are smearing grease on the door). 2) Always lower expectations (Greg tells his dad that he probably failed a test, but then shows that he actually got a C). 3) Never do something when someone else can do it for you (Rodrick has Greg reprint the former's school project and turn it in as his own, while we also see a flashback of a younger Rodrick pretending not to know how to use a keyboard and thus getting his dad to write a paper for him). Rodrick fakes like he's going to be sick, leans over into the van as if heaving, and then pops up with some fake vomit. He and Greg then have fun in a montage of putting that on other people's cars in a parking lot and then hiding, awaiting the reaction. Mad that Greg earlier cracked and told their mom about his party, Rodrick is now again mad at Greg. He tells him that he's his brother but will never be his friend and, moments later, "You are so dead." Rodrick purposefully does a spit-take with a mouthful of milk to spray that onto Greg. Holly says her older sister put hair remover in her shampoo and that she (Holly) would be bald if she hadn't smelled it first. Rodrick takes Greg's diary and threatens to give that to Holly. After Greg chases him around a senior citizens center in just his underwear, Rodrick hits record on their grandfather's VCR to tape security footage of Greg in that state, all with the intent to blackmail him later. Bill informs Rodrick that he's been replaced as the band's drummer, stating, "That's rock 'n roll, bro." FRIGHTENING SCENES Greg is a bit scared and slowly moves through the dark basement in which he's now been locked by Rodrick. As he shines his flashlight around, the light comes across a mannequin or similar figure down there. Rodrick and Greg scramble to clean up the house the morning after a party before their parents get home (played for comedy). We see a DVD cover of the movie "The Foot" that shows a severed and seemingly slightly bloody foot. We then see clips from the cheesy movie, where a couple goes through a house at night during a storm, with the severed foot then hopping away. We then see the woman in bed and the foot appearing between hers, followed by that on her face (all with cheap looking movie effects). Greg and Rowley are spooked by this and freak out when the real bedroom door opens. They scream, stand up, and then fall from the bed. GUNS/WEAPONS We see a water pistol in cartoon form. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "More lame 7th graders," "Dork alert," "Watcha waitin' for, you wimp?" "You're the man," "Enough of that total lameness," "You jerk," "Muchacho," "I've got my eye on you," "Holy cow," "Can it, chunky cheese," "Watch and learn, earthworm," "Loded Diper" (loaded diaper), "Holy pepperoni," "Nerds," "Ewww," "Dude," "Will freak out," "Holy moly," "I must be losing my marbles," "Chicks dig bad boys," "It will blow her mind," "Loserville," "This is sweet," "Fregley," "Stupid carbs," "You are so dead," "Doesn't that drive you nuts?" "She's super cute," "That's rock 'n roll, bro," "Doofus" and "Butt-brain." Some kids rearrange letters on an outdoor message board to read "More lame 7th graders." Greg and Rowley do a series of intricate hand gestures with each other. We see a flashback to Greg having been wrapped in toilet paper in a bathroom stall. Fregley puts some gum (that he found in Greg's food) behind his ear for later chewing. Chirag admits that he Googled Holly and her family to find out information about them. We see a cartoon version of a sock being put into a sleeping kid's mouth. Susan does some goofy, herky-jerky dancing early in the film, and then again later. Rodrick smacks Greg on the back of the head in passing. Greg and Patty struggle (hip to hip) to sit in a seat in class. After we see that Manny previously stuck a cookie in the slot of Greg's video game, the 3-year-old boy sticks his tongue at Greg. Fregley does an exaggerated cobra dance at school. Rodrick has Greg and Rowley ride in the back of his band's van, where there are no seats. The two boys are then bounced around hard during the drive (played for laughs), with Rowley's clothed butt landing on Greg's face. We see an online video of an older woman falling off a stage to a table, but then profiting from selling her resultant fame. Greg and Rowley try to make money the same way, hoping to capture Rowley falling backwards from being seated in a chair, but that doesn't work. However, Rowley (with underwear on his head, put there by Greg) later accidentally sits on a ball of foil with small wooden spikes coming out of it. Despite his parents telling him no one can come over while they're gone for the weekend, Rodrick immediately sends out the word that there's a party at the house. He then asks Greg to go get some chairs down in the basement, but does so only to lock him down there. We see that teens have thrown toilet paper all around the outside of Rodrick and Greg's house during a party, and it's seen again after that's over (along with a living room chair being out on the lawn). We also see that the inside of the house has been trashed, while peanut butter covered bread is stuck to the ceiling. Whipped cream is sprayed from a can into Greg's mouth at a party. Upon Chirag's return from India, Greg pretends that Chirag isn't there and can't be seen, all to elicit laughs from classmates. This continues for several other scenes until Chirag dresses up like Holly to fool Greg. Bill has tattoos on both arms. We see a cartoon of Greg and Rowley riding on the roof of a van driving down the road. We see a flashback to Rowley jumping up and down on a bed and then falling off (we don't see the impact on the floor). Rodrick gives Greg a set of rules to live by. They include 1) Don't be good at something you don't want to do (we then see them washing the car but using dirty rags that are smearing grease on the door). 2) Always lower expectations (Greg tells his dad that he probably failed a test, but then shows that he actually got a C). 3) Never do something when someone else can do it for you (Rodrick has Greg reprint the former's school project and turn it in as his own, while we also see a flashback of a younger Rodrick pretending not to know how to use a keyboard and thus getting his dad to write a paper for him). We see Fregley with Cheetos (or something similar) stuck up his nose. Rodrick tells Greg that "chicks love bad boys" and tells him to light a firecracker at school (that never happens). Bill and then Rodrick state, "Somebody farted" just to hear that phrase go through the band's reverb machine. Rodrick fakes like he's going to be sick, leans over into the van as if heaving, and then pops up with some fake vomit. He and Greg then have fun in a montage of putting that on other people's cars in a parking lot and then hiding, awaiting the reaction. Rodrick purposefully does a spit-take with a mouthful of milk to spray that onto Greg. Holly says her older sister put hair remover in her shampoo and that she (Holly) would be bald if she hadn't smelled it first. Greg ends up inadvertently running through a senior citizen home in just his underwear while chasing his older brother. Rodrick wears eye liner (and even borrows some from his mom at the end) while playing with his band. JUMP SCENES Greg is a bit scared and slowly moves through the dark basement in which he's now been locked by Rodrick. As he shines his flashlight around, the light comes across a mannequin or similar figure down there. After getting his diary back from his brother in a senior citizens center, but realizing he's only in his underwear, Greg darts into a bathroom, not realizing it's the women's room. He then peers out through the crack of the stall door, only to see a woman's eyeball right there. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful and ominous music (some of it playfully done) occurs in several scenes. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Rowley mouths lyrics to the Ke$ha song "Tick Tock" that include "Before I leave brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack (Daniels)" and "Pulling up to parties trying to get a little bit tipsy." Rodrick's band sings a song with the repeated lyrics, "Exploded diaper." PROFANITY At least 1 use each of "Oh God" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We see a flashback to boys in swimsuits laughing at Greg for being in a tiny, Speedo type suit. Rodrick wears just an open vest up top while playing drums. Two teen girls kiss Greg on the cheeks at a party. A woman in bed shows a little cleavage in a cheesy horror movie Greg and Rowley watch. We see Greg shirtless in bed and then standing in just his underwear when he realizes Rodrick has his diary and is going to show it to Holly (in the senior citizen home where they're staying with their grandfather). Rodrick runs off, with Greg in hot pursuit, down hallways and into the main areas of the center, in just his underwear. An older woman shows some cleavage. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Throughout the film, Rodrick embarrasses (or tries to) Greg in various ways. Greg tries to punch Rodrick at a roller rink (for embarrassing him in public), but misses and lands face-first on a birthday cake. As a result of Rodrick embarrassing Greg in church, Greg jumps on Rodrick and tackles him to the floor. Rodrick locks Greg in the basement before a party. Mad that Greg earlier cracked and told their mom about his party, Rodrick is now again mad at Greg. He tells him that he's his brother but will never be his friend and, moments later, "You are so dead." At the same time, Frank is upset with Susan that she knew about the party (after the fact) but didn't tell him. Holly says her older sister put hair remover in her shampoo and that she (Holly) would be bald if she hadn't smelled it first. Rodrick takes Greg's diary and threatens to give that to Holly. After Greg chases him around a senior citizens center in just his underwear, Rodrick hits record on their grandfather's VCR to tape security footage of Greg in that state, all with the intent to blackmail him later. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Dealing with siblings. When kids start showing interest in members of the opposite sex. Lying. The awkward late tween/early teen years. Being in a rock 'n roll band. VIOLENCE Greg tries to punch Rodrick at a roller rink, but misses and lands face-first on a birthday cake. We then see a cartoon version of young girls hitting Greg for ruining their party. Some kids are accidentally hit by a wave of skaters at a roller rink. Rodrick smacks Greg on the back of the head in passing. Rodrick has Greg and Rowley ride in the back of his band's van, where there are no seats. The two boys are then bounced around hard during the drive (played for laughs), with Rowley's clothed butt landing on Greg's face. We see an online video of an older woman falling off a stage to a table, but then profiting from selling her resultant fame. Greg and Rowley try to make money the same way, hoping to capture Rowley falling backwards from being seated in a chair, but that doesn't work. However, Rowley (with underwear on his head, put there by Greg) later accidentally sits on a ball of foil with small wooden spikes coming out of it. As a result of Rodrick embarrassing Greg in church, Greg jumps on Rodrick and tackles him to the floor. After an accidental bump causes a teen to spill his beverage on the front of a girl's shirt, Greg makes it seem like another kid is responsible. We then hear the off-screen hit of that boy that causes some stuff to go flying through the room. We see a cartoon of a can being thrown and hitting Bill on the head during a concert. We see a flashback to Rowley jumping up and down on a bed and then falling off (we don't see the impact on the floor). A teacher whacks Greg on the arm with a pencil or pen to make Greg pay attention to his work. The school coach dives and tackles two mannequins in a mall store (thinking they were kids who had pulled an earlier prank on him). After getting his diary back from his brother in a senior citizens center, but realizing he's only in his underwear, Greg darts into a bathroom, not realizing it's the women's room. He then peers out through the crack of the stall door, only to see a woman's eyeball right there. He then hits the floor and tries to scramble away, with one woman hitting him with her purse, while another grabs him once he's standing, but he manages to get away from her and others who've mistakenly grabbed and are holding another woman in a headlock (all played for laughs). We see cartoon footage of Rodrick controlling Greg like a marionette puppet and thrashing him about. There's some cartoon slapstick style material during the end credits. Reviewed March 22, 2011 / Posted March 25, 2011

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