Release: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Genre: Comedy

Director: Finn Wolfhard

Writer: Alex Conn

Based on the book series by Jeff Kinney

Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Woody Harrelson, Tina Fey, Keith L. Williams, Gracie Abrams, Dominic Sessa, Maude Apatow

Budget: $19,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $14,900,665

Foreign Box Office: $3,100,004

Total Profit: -$17,489,101

Reaction: Not even Finn Wolfhard's die-hard fans could draw fans into the cineplexes for this one - there simply didn't appear to be an audience for an raunchy adult-aimed film based on this kid-aimed book series.

"Despite the film’s self-satisfied warnings, its "edgy" meta-commentary isn't the free pass the filmmakers think it is. While some reboots successfully satirize their source material, this version thinks weed jokes are still the height of wit in 2025. Watching it feels like sitting through a middle school home movie where the only punchline is shouting a swear word every two seconds and calling it "comedy." By the time the credits roll, we’ve heard the same tired profanities so many times that they’ve lost all impact. It isn't edgy or transgressive; it’s just a lazy script that overstayed its welcome about ninety minutes ago." - J. Jonah Johnson, Daily Advisor

"We’ve been here before with Alex Conn: taking a kid-friendly property that already worked and slapping on a so-called “adult twist” in hopes that edge equals insight. The result is the same every time. Characters that aren’t sharper or smarter, just louder and more obnoxious. Diary of a Wimpy Kid has always carried a cynical streak, but it trusted kids to engage with it without crossing into empty provocation. This version doesn’t. The infamous end-credits cursing rant is the clearest example. Less George Carlin, more someone discovering swear words for the first time and daring the audience to laugh. It’s not subversive,  and it misunderstands both its source material and its audience." - Dexter Quinn, Cinematic Observer Newsletter 

"What was once a charming, relatable property is turned into an exhausting, juvenile mess. This version confuses edginess with comedy, piling on profanity, drug use, and sexual humor without much wit or structure to support it. Greg is no longer an awkward underdog but an outright unlikable narrator, making the film difficult to engage with. Even talented performers like Woody Harrelson and Tina Fey feel wasted in material that seems more interested in provoking than entertaining. It’s less a clever reinvention and more a misfire that misunderstands why the original worked." - Darren Holt, The Modern Comedy Review

Rated R for pervasive language, sexual content, drug use, and crude humor throughout.