Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | |
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Directed by | David Bowers |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Anthony B. Richmond |
Edited by | Troy Takaki |
Music by | Edward Shearmur |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox [2] |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes [2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $22 million [3] |
Box office | $77.2 million [4] |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a 2012 American comedy film directed by David Bowers from a screenplay by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes. It stars Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn. Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Peyton List, Grayson Russell, and Karan Brar also have prominent roles. It is the third installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series. It was released by 20th Century Fox on August 3, grossing $77 million at the box office, and like its predecessors, it received mixed reviews.
The film is based on the third and fourth books of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, The Last Straw and Dog Days , respectively. The "Holly Hills" and "Spag Union" portions of it are featured in the third book, while much of the rest is based on the fourth book.
The film is also the last in the series to feature the original cast members, as many of them (such as Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, and Devon Bostick) outgrew their roles and new actors were cast for the next installment, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul , which was released on May 19, 2017.
The Heffleys visit the local pool, where they run into Lenwood Heath, a reformed delinquent friend of Rodrick's who works as a lifeguard there. He attends Spag Union, a strict disciplinarian military school that begins in the eighth grade. Frank notices that Greg is about to start that grade and considers signing him up.
After learning that Greg spent his entire first day of summer vacation playing video games, Frank takes away his video games. Susan urges Frank to spend more time with him. Frank takes him fishing and to an American Civil War reenactment, but his incompetence annoys Frank.
Rowley invites Greg to the local country club. Initially reluctant, he joins Rowley as a guest after learning that his crush, Holly Hills, teaches tennis there. After Rodrick learns that Holly's older sister, Heather, whom he has a crush on, also works there, he asks Greg to help him sneak in. Frank surprises Greg with an unpaid summer internship at his office, hoping they can bond. Disliking the idea, Greg lies about getting a job at the country club, to Frank and Susan's delight.
Rowley invites Greg on a family trip to a rented beach house near the boardwalk. Before they leave, Frank and Susan give Greg a starter cell phone called a "Ladybug" that only allows him to call home or 911. Greg becomes increasingly creeped out by how close the Jeffersons are and secretly uses Rowley's father Robert's laptop to email Susan to get himself out of the trip. The Jeffersons confront him after he accidentally sends the email to everyone on Robert's contact list. He desperately tries to call home using his new phone, but accidentally calls 911 instead, leading to Robert almost getting arrested when he absentmindedly opens the door with a knife in his hand. Greg is sent home early, and Frank starts to believe that Rowley is a bad influence.
A few days later, Rowley informs Greg that he is no longer allowed to invite him to the country club, but he constantly sneaks in by impersonating members. Greg reconciles with Rowley and gets Löded Diper a gig for Heather's upcoming sweet sixteen, to Rodrick's delight. During another country club visit, Robert confronts Frank and Greg over the latter's purchase of $260 worth of smoothies. Frank mentions that Greg "works" there, but the manager denies this. Learning the truth of Greg's deception, Frank expresses his disappointment with him. Shortly after, Rodrick reveals to him that a Spag Union disc has been mailed to them, to his horror.
Rodrick urges Greg to go on the "Wilderness Weekend" camping trip with his classmates to impress Frank. During it, Fregley tells a scary story about a muddy hand. Spooked, Greg admits his guilt over constantly messing up. The next day, after overhearing Frank's boss, Stan Warren, insult him over his lack of camping skills, Greg sets a trap with his friends and sneaks into Stan's tent, where he discovers that their troop has been cheating by using household appliances. Stan discovers Greg and insults him, but Frank chastises Stan for faking his camping skills. He runs into Greg's trap, humiliating himself. At a motel on the way home, Frank confesses he never liked camping and decides not to send Greg to Spag Union, to his surprise and delight. He also talks to him about learning from mistakes and taking responsibility, making them both realize they are more alike than they thought.
At Heather's sweet sixteen a few days later, Löded Diper performs a heavy metal cover of "Baby" with Rodrick on lead vocals to try and serenade her. The performance goes awry when he accidentally knocks over a huge ice bust of her. She attempts to assault him with a microphone stand but smashes a chocolate fountain with it after he dodges it, ending the party in disaster, even though Holly enjoys it, and she and Greg become a couple and spend the rest of their summer together with Rowley and the rest of the Heffleys.
Jeff Kinney, the author of the series, reprises his role from the previous film as Holly's and Heather's father.
The film was produced on a budget of $22 million. [3] Principal photography began on August 8, 2011, in Vancouver and was completed on October 7, 2011. [5] The location for the country club pool was the Eagle Ridge Pool in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Filming there took place during the end of August 2011. [6] [7] [8] [9] The municipal pool scenes at the beginning and the end of the movie were filmed at Steveston Pool in Richmond, BC. Filming occurred there during the beginning of September 2011. [10] [11] [12] The Chinese Bunkhouse at the Steveston Shipyards in Richmond was the location of the Wilderness Explorers cabin for Troop 133. [13] [14] During filming, stars Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron, were seen riding the Corkscrew at Playland at Vancouver's fair, the PNE. [13] Capron had to wear a wig for the film, as his hair was shaved to play the role of Young Curly in The Three Stooges , as explained in The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary book. A poster was leaked in March 2012. A teaser trailer was attached to The Three Stooges. [15] An advance screening for the film was held on July 31, 2012. [16]
The film was released in U.S. theaters on August 3, 2012. [17]
The film was released on iTunes on December 4, 2012 [18] and on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on December 18, 2012. [19]
An animated short film set after the events of the film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Class Clown, was released on the home media release of it, with Zachary Gordon reprising his role as Greg Heffley, and audio of various other cast members from the film covering it.[ citation needed ]
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The film grossed $49,008,662 in the U.S. and Canada, and $28,221,033 in other territories, for a total gross of $77,229,695. [4]
The film grossed $14,623,599 in its opening weekend in 3,391 theaters. It later expanded to 3,401 theaters in its second weekend, where it grossed $8,002,166. [20]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 52% of 75 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "Overly familiar and a bit too reliant on slapstick, the sitcom-like Dog Days fails to improve upon previous installments and will likely appeal to few outside its target audience." [21] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, the same grade as the two previous films. [23]
Abby West of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B+ and wrote, "Though often self-centered and conniving, Greg remains a likable kid, and the movie entertains by pulling off over-the-top scenarios that set up digestible life lessons for youngsters." [24] OregonLive.com praised Zachary Gordon's acting, writing, "[h]is easy likeability and general relatability are perhaps two of the biggest keys to Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days." [25]
Matt Mueller of OnMilwaukee gave the film a negative review, calling it "manic, forced, predictable, scatterbrained and often times unpleasant." He criticized its "overstuffed screenplay" for being "very attention-deficit, cramming in numerous wacky plot elements, most of them solely existing for predictable jokes that were met in my screening with interminable silence." He wrote that "[s]ome of the storylines could've made for decent movies on their own," particularly the one where Greg joins the Boy Scouts, but that they were only brought back "when the screenplay needs another forced comic set piece or ill-fated attempt at wringing unearned emotion." He disliked Greg's behavior, writing "He's lazy and wildly selfish, taking advantage of his friend's unbridled kindness. His trip with the Jeffersons ends with Greg insulting the entire family and getting Robert arrested by the police. Later in the film, he runs up their bill sneaking into the country club. What part of this behavior is charming?" The review concludes with Mueller writing, "In Dog Days' lone earnest moment, Rowley astutely explains that his parents' disappointment is worse than their yelling. In that case, I'm not angry that a movie like this can take the joys of childhood and make them so joyless and unpleasant. I'm disappointed." [26]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | March 23, 2013 | Favorite Movie | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | Nominated | [27] |
Favorite Movie Actor | Zachary Gordon | Nominated | |||
Young Artist Awards | May 5, 2013 | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor | Zachary Gordon | Nominated | [28] |
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor | Robert Capron | Won | |||
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor | Karan Brar | Nominated | |||
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress | Laine MacNeil | Nominated | |||
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor Ten and Under | Connor & Owen Fielding | Nominated | |||
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress Ten and Under | Dalila Bela | Nominated | |||
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Ensemble Cast | Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Peyton List, Karan Brar, Laine MacNeil, Connor & Owen Fielding, Devon Bostick, Grayson Russell | Won |
At the time of its release, the film was described as the last live-action one in the franchise. [29] [30] In August 2012, while doing press for the film, Jeff Kinney, Zachary Gordon, and Robert Capron each indicated that there were no plans for more films, but did not dismiss the possibility entirely. [29] [30] [31] Kinney replied to inquiries regarding the possibility of another sequel, stating, "At present, we don’t have a fourth film in development, but you never know!" [31]
And when describing the likelihood of starring in more films in the series, Gordon explained, "[Dog Days] most likely will be the last movie. The main problem is [the cast is] getting older. You can't stop it. There's no way to temporarily stop us from changing and growing up. You know, that's the problem because the characters are supposed to be timeless." [29] In March 2013, he stated in a Spreecast live stream that there would not be any more live-action films. [32] Jeff Kinney had indicated that instead of doing a live-action film of the sixth novel Cabin Fever, he would like to see it adapted into an animated one, stating in an interview, "I hope that it gets made into an animated movie. I'd really like to see it turn into an animated television special."
On July 29, 2016, it was announced that a new film with a different cast based on the 9th book, The Long Haul, had begun production. [33] It was released on May 19, 2017, to a modest box-office success and a critical low for the franchise. [34]
On December 10, 2020, it was announced on Disney Investors Day that an animated film based on the books would premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2021. [35] It will be another reboot, and will be computer-animated, along with any other future Wimpy Kid movies. The animated film was released on December 3, 2021.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a children's novel written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his attempts to become popular in his first year of middle school.
Zachary Adam Gordon is an American actor. He is known for his lead role as Greg Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series (2010–2012), which earned him nominations for a Kids' Choice Award and seven Young Artist Awards. His other lead film roles include Huevos: Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure (2016) and Dreamcatcher (2021). He has had notable supporting roles in films such as Georgia Rule (2007), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules (2020), and Violet (2021).
Jeffrey Patrick Kinney is an American author and cartoonist. He is best known for creating, writing and illustrating the children's book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also created the child-oriented website Poptropica.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a children's novel by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, based on the FunBrain.com version. It is the sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, followed by The Last Straw. The hardcover was released on February 1, 2008. Rodrick Rules was named New York Times bestseller among awards and praise. A live-action film based on the book was released on March 25, 2011, and an animated film adaptation was released on Disney+ on December 2, 2022.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is a novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the third book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book acts as a journal and follows the adventures of Greg Heffley, the narrator of the book, who is in the second half of his seventh-grade year. This book was released in the US on January 13, 2009. An animated film based on the book is in the works for Disney+.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, and is the fourth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It was released on October 12, 2009, in the USA and October 13, 2009, in Canada. The film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, released on August 3, 2012, was based on the book and its predecessor, The Last Straw. It follows the narrator, Greg Heffley, on his summer break between seventh and eighth-grade.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's 2007 book of the same name. The film stars Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 2011 American comedy film directed by David Bowers in his live-action directorial debut and based on Jeff Kinney's 2008 book of the same name. It stars Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Peyton List. The film is the second installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, following Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), and follows the relationship between seventh grader Greg Heffley (Gordon) and his older brother, Rodrick (Bostick).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is a 2011 bestselling and award-winning children's book and the sixth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, written by American author Jeff Kinney. The book was released on November 15, 2011, the paperback edition was released on January 31, 2013, and was the fastest-selling book of 2011, giving him the third-strongest opening-week sales for a children's author. Cabin Fever had a first printing run of six million copies, which Amulet Books stated was one of their most significant titles for that year. In 2012 Kinney won a "Best Author" Children's Choice Award from the Children's Book Council for Cabin Fever. The book received widespread acclaim from critics and is frequently said to be one of the best books in the series. The book was followed by 2012's The Third Wheel.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of family comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Jeff Kinney. It consists of four live action films and three animated films.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is a children's novel written by Jeff Kinney and is the ninth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. On April 28, 2014, Kinney announced the book's name and the color of its cover. The book was released on November 4, 2014, in the USA. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School is a children's novel written by American author Jeff Kinney first published in 2015. It is the tenth book of Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, preceded by Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and followed by Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down. The book was released on November 3, 2015 worldwide, though an extract from the book was released online on October 27, 2015.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is a 2017 American road comedy film written and directed by David Bowers. It serves as a standalone sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, and the fourth installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and the final live-action film in the franchise. It was based on the ninth book of the same name, with elements of the seventh, eighth, and tenth books in the series, and was cowritten by the books' author, Jeff Kinney. It is also the only live-action installment in the series not to feature the cast members from the first three films. It instead features a completely different cast, and the plot follows the Heffleys as they go on a road trip to Meemaw's 90th birthday party, without realizing the various calamities that will occur along the way.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball is a children's novel written by Jeff Kinney and the fourteenth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The series follows an unlucky middle school student named Greg Heffley, his family, and his friends. The books are illustrated with simple, black-and-white drawings from Greg's perspective. Wrecking Ball focuses on Greg; his mother, Susan; his father, Frank; and his best friend, Rowley; as the Heffley family renovate their house and prepare to move to a new neighborhood. It was released on November 5, 2019.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2021 animated comedy film directed by Swinton Scott from a screenplay by Jeff Kinney, based on his 2007 book of the same name. It is the second film adaptation of the book, following the 2010 live-action film, while serving as the first fully-animated reboot in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, and the fifth installment overall. The film stars the voices of Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, Chris Diamantopoulos, Erica Cerra, and Hunter Dillon.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 2022 animated comedy film directed by Luke Cormican from a screenplay by Jeff Kinney, based on his 2008 book of the same name. It is a sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021) and is the second adaptation of Rodrick Rules following the 2011 live-action film, while also being the second fully-animated film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and the sixth installment overall. Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, Chris Diamantopoulos, Erica Cerra, and Hunter Dillon reprise their roles as characters from the first film, while Ed Asner posthumously portrays Grandpa Heffley. The film is one of Asner's final voice acting roles recorded shortly before his death on August 29, 2021 and is dedicated to his memory.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is a 2023 animated Christmas comedy film directed by Luke Cormican. It is the seventh installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, the third animated feature, and the first adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney. Wesley Kimmel replaced Brady Noon as Greg Heffley, while Hunter Dillion, Erica Cerra and Chris Diamantopoulos reprised their roles as Rodrick, Susan and Frank respectively. Ethan William Childress is replaced by Spencer Howell in the role of Rowley.
Gregory "Greg" Heffley is a fictional character in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise, serving as the antiheroic main protagonist and unreliable narrator of the books, online series, and multimedia franchise. He was created by Jeff Kinney, and portrayed by Zachary Gordon and Jason Drucker in the first three films and the fourth film, respectively.
The film also received a more tepid response (a B on CinemasScore) than previous films, which have mostly gone over well with families, having earned a consistent A- on CinemaScore for the first three movies.