Plot
Middle schooler Greg Heffley finds himself continually at odds with his father, Frank Heffley's, outsized expectations. Believing his son is too "wimpy," Frank threatens to send Greg to Spag Union Military Academy, forcing Greg to desperately attempt to prove he can "toughen up" and handle responsibility.
On Christmas, highlighting the ongoing tension in the Heffley household. An initial sequence shows the family rushing to a Christmas church service, with Frank's frustration mounting over various delays and mishaps, including Greg struggling with basic life skills like using a door key. The family arrives late, and Frank's subsequent hasty driving draws criticism from other congregants, further embarrassing him and fueling his concern about his son's character. Frank often compares Greg unfavorably to other, more disciplined children in the neighborhood, like the successful, but disliked, Lenwood Heath, whom Frank frequently reports to the police for minor infractions.
Frank decides Greg needs discipline and presents him with an ultimatum: either Greg shapes up and becomes more "manly," or he gets "shipped out" to military school. Greg's attempts to avoid this fate form the core of the narrative. His initial schemes and efforts to appear more capable often result in comedic disasters. A prime example is his short-lived "Beefcake Snow Removal" service, which is a catastrophic failure due to Greg taking shortcuts and lack of foresight.
In a major attempt to appease his father, Greg joins the Boy Scouts. While this endeavor initially seems promising, it culminates in a disastrous father-son wilderness campout. The trip, intended as a bonding experience, is full of trials and tribulations that further test their relationship and highlight Greg's lack of survival skills, reinforcing Frank's belief that military school is the only option.
Reception
On Decider , Critic John Serba gave the movie a "Stream It" verdict. He noted that while Greg Heffley is still "kind of a jerk," he is learning to be less so. Serba pointed out that the film is an improvement over previous animated entries because it is "more structurally and thematically sound," focusing on the father-son dynamic. He praised the "reasonably strong final stretch" that offers a warm message about family and growing up without being overly sentimental. [8]
Plugged In stated that the movie is "predictably filled with slapstick violence and grossout gags," which might cause some parents to roll their eyes. However, it praised the movie's "very sweet messages" about the importance of integrity, hard work, and family. The review highlighted the strong positive elements, such as Susan Heffley's wisdom about parenting and Frank's realization that simply showing up for his son is a valuable lesson. It ultimately gave the film "merit badges for its messages." [9]
On Common Sense Media , the notes on what parents need to know. It mentions the cartoon violence (e.g., a dog bite, a raccoon attack) and crude language ("butt," "stupid"), but notes it sticks to its PG rating. The main positive message highlighted is that lying, keeping secrets, and taking shortcuts don't pay off, emphasizing themes of responsibility and integrity. [1]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
