Parents' Guide to

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

More of Greg's humorous antics; fun for series fans.

Movie PG 2011 96 minutes
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 8+

Based on 46 parent reviews

Moviefan2636
Moviefan2636 Adult
June 24, 2021
age 8+

Pretty solid movie

Pretty funny movie. One of the funny parts is when Greg runs in his tighty whities and goes into the ladies room in just his briefs
1 person found this helpful.
sppsl
sppsl Adult
January 22, 2021
age 10+

Scary Scenes

My 9 year old son picked it for our family movie night. I made the biggest mistake to let his 5.5 year old sister watch it with us! In the middle of the movie, the two kids were watching a not age appropriate movie before bed and it was a horror movie about two adults entering a dark hall and troubled by a BROKEN FOOT, the foot mysteriously appeared under their duvet etc etc......the playback lasted at least 3-5 mins. My daughter since has refused to sleep by herself....I admit it's my fault to let her watch (as from past experience she is usually ok with a movie aged7 or 9) it but honestly I don't think the scenes were appropriate for a 9 year old either (though my son didn't seem to bother much). I never write reviews about movies so it's my first time. just thought I'd let other parents know if you have a younger kid at home, it's best to avoid this one.
See all 46 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Greg (Zachary Gordon) and Rowley (Robert Capron) begin seventh grade in DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES. Greg falls for cute new girl Holly Hills (Peyton List) and renews his attempts to be popular. Meanwhile, his mom (Rachael Harris) has begun writing a newspaper column about parenting that further embarrasses Greg. And his older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), continues to torment him. When their parents go out of town for a weekend, Rodrick throws a wild party, and then the brothers conspire to clean up their mess and hide the evidence. This conspiracy brings them closer as brothers, but what happens when the other shoe drops?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (46):
Kids say (161):

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series gets a new director in David Bowers, but retains continuity with tone and the same funny in-betweens, animated in the style of book author Jeff Kinney's artwork. The scatological stuff seems toned down in this installment, although there's certainly a fair share of embarrassment-related humor.

The focus here is less on Greg and Rowley and more on Greg and his brother Rodrick. As with the previous film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules seems to actually get what it feels like to be a middle-schooler with older and/or younger siblings. Overall, it's fast, funny, and effective and will probably please fans.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Greg's continued attempts to be popular in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Why is being popular so important to him? Is that something that matters to you? What actually makes a person cool and/or popular?

  • Is Rodrick a good role model for Greg? Are Rodrick's "rules" helpful? Why or why not?

  • Is Greg bullied in this movie? Is he justified in feeling picked on?

  • Fans of the books: How does the movie compare? Which characters were different or new? Did you like the changes?

Movie Details

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