What Do The Critics Say?

"While the sequel barely deviates from the formula used for the first film, it is also a slight improvement. Though the makers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 know they are largely servicing a captive fan base, the film is funny and lively enough (particularly when the visuals are switched to Kinney's famous stick-figure illustrations) to win over any newcomers to the fold." Leigh Paatsch SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "Director David Bowers has a nice sense of comic timing, and milks some anarchic moments to full effect (like, say, being trapped wearing only underwear: again; in a women's washroom at a senior's home). All in all, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a cathartic experience for kids, wimpy or otherwise. Just make sure they don't try any of it at home." Jim Slotek JAM! SHOWBIZ "Happily, this hotly awaited follow-up to last year's hit adaptation of Jeff Kinney's wildly popular Wimpy Kid book series establishes its own charming reason for being." Nancy Churnin DALLAS MORNING NEWS "A sequel to the surprise 2010 hit, Rodrick works the way the first one did: by not overextending our hero beyond his middle-school concerns. Leave it to a wimpy kid to show Hollywood how to make a family movie with live people in it." Scott Bowles USA TODAY "Will have the typical 10-year-old and some grown-ups cackling with glee. Greg's parents are utterly clueless but kinda funny. His baby brother is: well you know. His older brother Rodrick, delights in ridiculing Greg. Directed with a light touch by David Bowers, augmented by a catchy score. That rare film that adresses tweens without being condescending." Richard Roeper RICHARD ROEPER

"Rodrick enjoys center stage, literally and figuratively, as the drummer of a heavy metal, garage band called Loded Diper. Wimps still rule in this upside-down universe where it's cool to be square! Adolescent angst and sibling rivalry escalate in fun-filled sequel." Kam Williams NEWSBLAZE "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 Rodrick. Overall, it's fast, funny, and effective and will probably please fans." Jeffrey M. Anderson COMMONSENSE MEDIA "The more Mom pushes the boys together, the more they butt heads. And the funnier it gets. Here's a tween comedy you don't have to be a tween to enjoy." Carrie Rickey PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "The plot to Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a see-sawing feud between Greg and Rodrick. That makes sense. A kid dealing with a mad mom offers more comic and dramatic potential than the same child tiptoeing around a deranged gym teacher." Stephen Cole GLOBE & MALE "Consciously lightweight in its approach to kid-humor "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" is nonetheless a balanced children's comedy. This second installment in the "Wimpy Kid" franchise finds boy with a diary Greg Heffley failing to escape constant pranking from his older brother Rodrick. "Rodrick Rules" might not be high art, but it is a perfectly sound kid's movie." Cole Smithey COLESMITHEY.COM

The Inside Story From its origins as a series of online cartoons, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" exploded onto the pop culture scene when Jeff Kinney’s first 'novel in cartoons' was first published in 2007. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" spent almost three years on The New York Times children’s best-seller list, and sold millions of copies around the world. It captured the imaginations of an army of formerly 'reluctant readers', and launched countless video reviews, social networking fan groups, and parties celebrating the release of each new Wimpy Kid book. While Kinney had originally targeted adults through the book’s nostalgic look at middle school life as told through a narrator with Walter Mittyesque fantasies of greatness, kids immediately connected to his blending of the subversive and edgy with the fun and wholesome. With the success of the book came a film offer which led to a big-screen adaptation of the book. Now Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn and most of the cast from "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" return for the sequel: "Rodrick Rules". Joining the Wimpy Kid family is director David Bowers ("Flushed Away") who makes his live-action feature debut. "This film was like a family reunion," says Kinney. "It felt like coming back for a second year of summer camp." The second time around turning one of his books into a film was no less exciting for Kinney than his maiden Hollywood voyage on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". "As an author, it’s incredibly exciting to see your words (and doodles) come to life on screen. I’m so glad audiences liked the first movie and that we’re back, bringing the second book to life on screen." That’s not to say this adaptation would be any less daunting than the first picture’s. Kinney’s books are anecdotal and don’t lend themselves to a direct transition from book to screen, so the filmmakers spent considerable time determining the spine of the movie’s story. "As thrilled as we were with the success of the first movie," says Nina Jacobson, "we knew this film would have to up the ante and take the comedy, the set pieces, and the Wimpy Kid’s world to the next level. Audiences appreciated that the first movie was true to the book, and that has certainly continued to be our mandate on this next movie because we have great source material." "As writers, the great thing about working from Jeff’s source material is there is so much stuff from every book you’d want to use," adds co-screenwriter Gabe Sachs. While "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" is based on the second book in the series, Kinney notes that the filmmakers "have gone a little bit forward and a little bit backwards [in the book series] in pulling moments that would work to service this plot and make a fuller universe. We mixed things up a little bit to tell the best story. Greg has changed since the first movie. Last year, he was heading into middle school for the first time. This year, he feels more confident and like he’s in control. And now, he’s trying to make inroads with a pretty new girl at school, so he can improve his situation at school even further." "It’s hard from me to look at the Wimpy Kid books now and not think of Zach," says Simpson. "I think he’s the perfect Greg Heffley. He’s brought a depth that was essential to role. Zach has a little bit of Greg in him that’s the key thing. He’s a fast talker and often looking for an angle. Zach doesn’t have some of Greg’s hard edges and he has the ability to deliver some of the ‘Greg lines’ that can read as being harsh, but when delivered by Zach, you see that they come from him wanting to fit in. Greg isn’t mean; he’s just struggling, like every kid, to find his place in the world." "One year later and Zach is still Zach," says Nina Jacobson ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid"). "He’s a little more confident and he still has great instincts. Zach stepped into Greg’s shoes very comfortably and easily. He still wants to exceed expectations, but he has less to prove." "Greg Heffley has definitely changed since we saw him in the first movie," says Zachary. "In the books, he pretty much stays the same but, for the movies, we wanted him change at least a little bit. This time, he and Rowley don’t have as much conflict. Greg is no longer being humiliated every day and he’s kind of got the school-thing down." Like Greg, Zachary also changed between the two films. "He’s a year older and, at this age, a year means a lot for kids," says Simpson ("Gardener of Eden"). "Zach still has spark and energy and he’s still excited to be here, but he’s a little more mature and a little calmer. But he’s still, basically, Greg Heffley." Devon Bostick (Brent in "Saw VI"), returns as eldest sibling Rodrick. He was thrilled that the character is front and centre in this second Wimpy Kid story. "The title is 'Rodrick Rules', so that means, a lot more Rodrick this time. In this movie, you get to see a brighter side of Rodrick, but also a darker and goofier side. Rodrick torments Greg 24/7. But he feels like he’s teaching Greg some tough lessons about life. Rodrick thinks that if Greg can get past the pranks, then he can do anything." The brothers eventually bond over a shared secret: but are they actually becoming; friends? "Rodrick wants to take Greg under his wing. Rodrick rules in a few ways: the first is ruling by being an awesome role model to his younger brother; despite the pranks Rodrick plays on Greg. The other is that he has a set of rules that he considers the way to an easy life and he teaches these to Greg." Simpson ("Party Monster") notes that when they were originally casting the role of Rodrick, "A lot of people played him as a classic bully. But Devon had a great sense of humor about the character and had fun being the evil, torturing older brother. Once we had Devon, we knew fans would accept Rodrick because Devon makes us feel that there is some love underneath Rodrick’s attitude toward Greg." A key figure in the second film is new to the Wimpy Kid family. Holly Hills, the new girl in town, is pretty, popular and unattainable. Nevertheless, Greg is confident she will become his girlfriend. Like all the book characters, Holly Hills is rendered as a stick figure and the books’ myriad fans no doubt had their ideas about her look. "We thought it was important to have a girl who, any boy, no matter how much he might say he doesn’t notice girls, would have to acknowledge that, yes, she was a cute girl," Jacobson ("One Day") explained. The filmmakers conducted a nationwide casting search before they saw Peyton List (young Becky in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"). "Peyton is beautiful but also accessible and her spark and personality shine through the character," Simpson notes. "Peyton is great as Holly Hills," Kinney adds. "I drew the character as an idealistic doodle of the girl next door and Peyton just brought that to life." Robert Capron (Robert in "Bride Wars") returns as Greg Heffley’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson. "Rowley is still wide-eyed," says Simpson. "He thinks you should just be yourself and people will like you." "Rowley and Greg’s relationship hasn’t really changed," Capron ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice") elaborated. "They’re still really good friends and Greg is still making Rowley do things that he doesn’t want to, but Rowley’s doing them anyway." There’s something about the relationship that’s really one-sided, but there’s something that also works," Kinney notes. "The fans love Rowley and his friendship with Greg, so we worked hard to make the character even more prominent than he is in the book. We knew that Greg couldn’t take Rowley for granted the way he did in the first movie. They still have their Oscar and Felix dynamic, but their friendship had to evolve. We wanted to give Robert the opportunity to do all the things he does so well, especially the way he brings out Rowley’s humor, sweetness and unexpected depth," Jacobson pointed out. In addition to Rowley, Greg’s inner circle continues to include Fregley (Grayson Russell), a thin, hyper, weird kid and, as we’ll never forget from the first film, the proud owner of a secret freckle. Then there’s Chirag Gupta (Karan Brar), a diminutive Indian youngster with whom Greg is vying for the affections of pretty new seventh grader Holly Hills. Also returning is Greg’s arch-nemesis Patty Farrell (Laine MacNeil), who remains determined to see Greg suffer as much as possible during his middle school years. Making a special appearance (as Holly’s dad) is Jeff Kinney. In his other role, as executive producer, Kinney spent as much time on set as his busy schedule would allow. "It meant a lot to the cast and crew to have Jeff on set because he’s an inspiration," Simpson recalls. Kinney joined some of the young actors on their press tour for the first film and, when the fifth book in the series," Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth", was published a few weeks after filming wrapped on the second film, Kinney invited Zachary, Robert and Grayson to join him for his book tour. Some of the young cast also joined Kinney for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where Greg Heffley took flight as a gigantic Wimpy Kid helium balloon. Also central to the story are Greg’s mom and dad, played by Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn. Being Greg and Rodrick’s parents is no picnic, but mom Susan is trying to do her best with the men in her life. "Susan has started writing a parenting column for the local newspaper about her family and she feels like hers should be a model family," says Harris (Melissa in "The Hangover"). "But Susan’s family is not a model family; they’re the Heffleys." "Even though he seems a little less involved with these family dynamics, Frank actually has a pretty good instinct that if the boys start spending more time together, Rodrick is going to rub off on Greg," says Steve Zahn (George Pappas in "You've Got Mail"). "That might not be the best thing." Rodrick’s primary interest (apart from making life miserable for Greg) is the elder sibling’s band "Löded Diper", in which he serves as drummer. The band members are neither polished nor innovative, but they are enthusiastic, and Rodrick is its heart and soul. He spends more time practicing his twirls and looking good as a drummer than he does on drumming. In fact, the entire band spends more time thinking about how they look on stage than they do on actually creating good music. Like his on-screen alter ego, Devon embraced being a rock 'n' roller. For a month, Devon squeezed in as many drumming lessons as possible. He proudly notes: "In real life, I became better than Rodrick, and in only seven days of practicing!" Multi-talented Kinney, wrote the lyrics to the band’s signature tune "Exploded Diper". While new to the franchise, director David Bowers ("Astro Boy") was well aware of its appeal. He embraced the opportunity, as he says: "to jump into something that was already terrific and loved, while bringing to it a little of my own sense of humor and sensibilities. If there’s something that’s going to move an audience or something they can relate to, that’s what I like to hone in on." What's It All About?

From its origins as a series of online cartoons, Diary of a Wimpy Kid exploded onto the pop culture scene when Jeff Kinney’s first 'novel in cartoons' was published in 2007. In "DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES", (the sequel to 2010’s surprise hit) Greg Heffley, the kid who made 'wimpy' cool, is back in an all-new family comedy based on the best-selling follow-up novel by author Jeff Kinney, who's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series has so far far sold fourty three million books. The sequel kicks off one year after the first film, with Greg beginning seventh grade. Finally, he has mastered middle school, rid himself of the 'Cheese Touch' and thinks he's got it all together. As he begins seventh grade, Greg tries to score points with Holly Hills, a pretty new girl in school, while honoring his mom’s request to spend qualitytime with his older brother: and chief tormentor; Rodrick. There’s one problem: Rodrick is still trying to ruin Greg’s life; despite the enticement of 'mom money' for every hour the two spend together.

The Verdict "With a first release hit movie on their hands, one of the hardest tasks a filmmaker faces is having to come up with a successful sequel. That's right, a sequel! We all know what that means, don't we? It means something that is equal to, or better than, the original. The mere thought of a sequel certainly produces great expectation for many moviegoers. The excitement builds as the release date gets closer and closer. Searching the web for the latest news or trailers becomes a daily ritual. But for some fans, anxiety sets in. Euphoria is replaced with a feeling of dread. Suddenly they can feel a knot in their gut, as doubt sets in. Why? Well, lets be honest. How many truly successful sequels have there been over the years? How many times have we worked ourselves into a frenzied state of great expectation, only to be brought crashing down to earth. The answer is simple: too many times. Thankfully, that's not the case with the sequel to the 2010 film, "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid", based on the first book in the 'Wimpy Kid' series by author Jeff Kinney. The focuss this time is on the relationship between Greg and his older brother Rodrick. With the two boys not getting on, mum has come up with a plan to bring them closer: mum money. When all other avenues have been exhausted, nothing has greater appeal than a good old fashioned bribe. But will it work on the renegade Rodrick, who has his own set of rules and who always manages to stay one step in front of his parents. Poor Greg. He's now balancing life at school, new found feelings of love, as well as trying to escape the clutches of Rodrick who loves to embarress his little brother at every opportunity. Those who enjoyed the original will have just as much fun with this witty and at times, hilarious sequel. Good fun. 4 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Zachary Gordon Devon Bostick Rachael Harris Steve Zahn Connor Fielding Owen Fielding Robert Capron Peyton List Laine MacNeil Grayson Russell Terence Kelly Fran Kranz Bryce Hodgson Andrew McNee John Shaw Alf Humphreys Teryl Rothery Serge Houde Dalila Bela Jakob Davies Maple Batalia Jeff Kinney

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Greg Heffley Rodrick Heffley Susan Heffley Frank Heffley Manny Heffley Manny Heffley Rowley Jefferson Holly Hills Patty Farrell Fregley Grandpa Bill Ben Segal Coach Malone Mr Draybick Rowley's Dad Mrs Kohan Mr Salz Taylor Pringle Scotty Melissa Holly's Dad

The Production Team Directed by David Bowers Screenplay by Gabe Sachs & Jeff Judah From the book by Jeff Kinney Produced by Nina Jacobson & Bradford Simpson Original Music by Edward Shearmur Cinematography by Jack N. Green Film Editing by Troy Takaki Casting by Heike Brandstatter/Ronna Kress/Coreen Mayrs Production Design by Brent Thomas Costume Design by Tish Monaghan Run Time 99 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2011 - Twentieth Century Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2011 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.