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DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYSMovie Reviews
Family comedy about Greg Heffley's plans for summer, which include pretending he has a job at a ritzy country club and taking a camping trip that goes horribly wrong. Cast:Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn, Dalila Bela, Karan Brar, Jared Abrahamson, Reese AlexanderDirector:David BowersRelease Date:August 3, 2012DVD Release:December 18, 2012From:20th Century FoxRating:PGLength:1 hr. 33 min.
DECEMBER 18, 2012
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Good (Not Great) Reviews
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days played to good not great reviews. • Roger Moore wrote in the Miami Herald, "...not the best of the 'Wimpy Kid' films, but Devon Bostick is still a laugh a minute as Rodrick, and for an hour the laughs come quick and sure — slapstick stuff, mostly." More Reviews Below...
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Positive Reviews (29 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "...isn't just for laughs... Greg learns from his myriad mistakes, and new levels of maturity are glimpsed, if not ultimately reached. Who can't relate to that?"(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 08/02/12
Abby West, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...finds titular wimp Greg (Zachary Gordon) at odds with his father (Steve Zahn)... entertains by pulling off over-the-top scenarios that set up digestible life lessons..."(See all of Abby West's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 96 words, 08/03/12
Scott Bowles, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It all makes for goofy fun, and physical comedy that will have parents rolling their eyes. But that's always been Wimpy's point: What's the rush into adulthood?"(See all of Scott Bowles's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 357 words, 08/03/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "There are a couple of clever bits here and there.... I think it's possible that all tween audiences, wimpy or not, deserve better than this."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 08/03/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: MODERATE "...more a patched-together collection of anecdotes than a coherent story... But Peyton List is charming, and a few scenes have the spark of originality."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 08/03/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...wants to have fun, but doesn't know that the best fun happens when you don't plan it.... squanders several chances to find something magical in the mundane."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 08/03/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...ends the series' winning streak... Still, the picture's reach never exceeds its grasp, and it offers a fair amount of the gross-out stuff kids love."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 08/03/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "I'd call 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days' harmless if it weren't for some totally unnecessary gay-panic jokes that could actually encourage bullying."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 08/03/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...never finds the heightened state of comic anxiety that fuels the books.... I'd rather watch a 'Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide' rerun."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 08/03/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Greg remains a refreshingly average hero, a boy trying not to save the world but simply make it through childhood."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 08/03/12
Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments... There is an old-fashioned sweetness here, especially in the relationship between father and son..."(See all of Mary Houlihan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 08/03/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...understands kids' healthy, conspiratorial disrespect for everything the adult world encourages them to take an interest in, while never settling into lazy Garfield cynicism."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 08/08/12
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...unfolds in such a somnolent manner that it's hard to imagine anyone enjoying this film with anything approaching gusto.... contrived and predictable."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 08/03/12
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Sean O'Connell, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...should find ample heart, hearty laughs and heaping helpings of wholesome humiliation... It really captures what it feels like to be a kid."(See all of Sean O'Connell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 538 words, 08/03/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the best of the lot. It's not great, but the mean-spiritedness that permeated the first film and stuck around a bit for the second is mostly gone."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 08/03/12
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "What happened to that swell anecdotal relatability? Consider it another sign that it's probably time for Zachary Gordon to bid 'Wimpy Kid' adieu."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 461 words, 08/03/12
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "The best stuff in 'Dog Days' are a few comic set pieces, but returning director David Bowers can't quite make them leap off the screen as he has before."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 08/03/12
Mike Scott, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...can be expected to strike a chord with its pint-sized target audience.... an entirely harmless and congenial tale of pre-teen social mayhem."(See all of Mike Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 183 words, 08/03/12
Roger Moore, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...not the best of the 'Wimpy Kid' films, but Devon Bostick is still a laugh a minute as Rodrick, and for an hour the laughs come quick and sure -- slapstick stuff, mostly."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 455 words, 08/03/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...understands kids' healthy, conspiratorial disrespect for everything the adult world encourages them to take an interest in, while never settling into lazy Garfield cynicism."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 08/08/12
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...feels like third-tier TV.... Greg (Zachary Gordon), the wimp of the title, isn't so much a wimp as a self-centered, manipulative little shit."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 08/09/12
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...ingratiatingly modest.... 'Diary Of A Wimpy Kid' benefits from not trying too hard, but it wouldn't hurt if it had tried just a little bit harder anyway."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 08/02/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "While you might be inclined to root for Frank and Greg, as their idiotic schemes come with the territory, you might also be inclined to hope Susan somehow breaks free."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 913 words, 08/06/12
Andrew Schenker, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...strictly for the kiddies. It's a harmless enough exercise... a half-hearted morality tale about taking responsibility for your actions as a sign of impending maturity..."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 08/02/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "Toilet! Stinky diaper! Dog slobber! Toenails! Pee in the pool! Gah-rooooss! Color me odd, but I think that kids' movies should not pander to the basest instincts..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 08/03/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: MODERATE "...more a patched-together collection of anecdotes than a coherent story... But Peyton List is charming, and a few scenes have the spark of originality."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 08/03/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...ends the series' winning streak... Still, the picture's reach never exceeds its grasp, and it offers a fair amount of the gross-out stuff kids love."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 08/03/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Lael Loewenstein, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "As usual, Zachary Gordon's reliably sardonic narration and Jeff Kinney's occasional onscreen animation lend the proceedings some context."(See all of Lael Loewenstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 08/02/12
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...turns out to be not so wimpy after all.... proves nimbler and truer to its origins than last year's 'Rodrick Rules'.... the story as a whole feels less episodic."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 08/02/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...ends the series' winning streak... Still, the picture's reach never exceeds its grasp, and it offers a fair amount of the gross-out stuff kids love."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 08/03/12
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: MODERATE "...more a patched-together collection of anecdotes than a coherent story... But Peyton List is charming, and a few scenes have the spark of originality."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 08/03/12
18.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days's reviews are separated by an average 18.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (29 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days's reviews cover 54.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,023 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 380 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Coverage, Volume & Length (29 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 3.9 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days's reviews on average broke 3.9 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (29 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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