web counter
 

A Fat Kid, a Wimpy Kid, and a Ginger Kid Walk into a Bar ...

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (33)

WimpyKid-Ginger.jpg

If you’re like me, you don’t really know much about Diary of a Wimpy Kid, except that every time you walk into a Borders or a Barnes & Noble, you come face to face with them and their stick-figure dust jackets. That was pretty much enough to make me despise the series. The trailer for the movie based on the books doesn’t help.

“A butt’s not cute. It’s a butt.”

Man alive: Kids have a lot to learn.

I like high-school movies. I like real-life infants and toddlers. But, man: Middle-school kids represent a creative void. How can you be ostracized for being gangly or awkward looking when everyone is gangly or awkward-looking?

Puberty is ugly, people. I don’t care who you are. It’s an inescapable fact. In fact, before you watch this trailer, go on over to the Pajiba Facebook and post pictures from your puberty era so we can all point and laugh. It’s Saturday, and wherever you’re at, it’s probably cold. What else have you got to do?

(No pictures of albinos, please. They give Skitz the hives.)


(Screen cap Courtesy Filmdrunk)









Each Time You Like, Share, Tweet or Stumble a Pajiba Post, An Angel Does the Paul Rudd Dance

← Cyrus Trailer | The Long-Awaited Diversion Diversion →









Comments

I eschewed middle school in favor of a very small private school. There were 4 of us in the 6th-8th grade group. So I managed to avoid the trauma that is usually inflicted upon kids at this age. Instead, I was privately traumatized at home, like in the old days, before the state got involved in the public traumatization of children. Damn nanny state. Can you all even IMAGINE how fucked up I would be if I had undergone the 'smart chubby girl' torture of a public middle school? I was a walking After School Special as it was in my late teens....

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at January 23, 2010 2:48 PM

I was pretty awkward looking as a kid (might have continued the trend), but didn't really get much flak for it. I mean I wore leg braces my first few years of school and wasn't the laughing stock. I think I got a good deal in the tender years.

Do you mean cold weather-wise? It's totally not here in Miami. Humidity = angry me.

Posted by: vdo86 at January 23, 2010 3:17 PM

How can you be ostracized for being gangly or awkward looking when everyone is gangly or awkward-looking?

We must have gone to very different middle-schools. There were ostracizations galore in my middle-school. In fact, the only time I ever really felt someone was trying to ostracize me was in middle-school.

Posted by: Forbiddendonut at January 23, 2010 3:35 PM

It's actually insanly hot over here. Remember Pajiba has a wide variety of readers from all parts of the globe. Dumbass.

Posted by: Britney Spears at January 23, 2010 4:00 PM

Fuck, I'm still posting as Britney!

Posted by: Bizarro Sofía at January 23, 2010 4:00 PM

Eh, it doesn't look nearly as horrible as some other kids movies made for that age group. Or maybe I'm just telling myself that because I know I'm going to have to see it.

My son loves these books. Sure, they're childish, immature, etc... But they also keep him reading. Start with fish sticks, work your way up to perfectly grilled salmon...

Posted by: Spiny at January 23, 2010 4:10 PM

Seventh grade was pretty much the lowest point for me, but middle school sucked in general.


Yes, they're extremely popular, but I'm much more looking forward to the Percy Jackson movie (though I haven't read them, so I don't know enough to stay away if it's actually going to be awful like I did with "The Dark Is Rising").

Humidity = angry me.

Yet some people looooooooooooove that shit. Crazy fucking reptiles.

Posted by: Jay at January 23, 2010 4:43 PM

Hollywood not going to stop until every book on earth's made into a movie, are they?

Posted by: Oracle at January 23, 2010 5:21 PM

Is it wrong that I laughed at that? Several times?

Posted by: Lauren at January 23, 2010 6:02 PM

I spent my middle school years with a home perm and an eyebrow situation that could perhaps best be described as, "spiky caterpillar o' death." Traumatic does not even start to cover it. Luckily, like all Pajibian ladies, I have grown into a ravishing flower of womanhood who, should she ever meet any of the truly awful popular girls that she shared her middle school experience with, will eviscerate them with my razor wit and perfect rack.

Posted by: Nurse EagerBeaverBaby at January 23, 2010 6:36 PM

Oh, I went through the "Why is everyone such a fucking idiot?" phase, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to watch it on the big screen. Is this really what these books are about?

Posted by: Robert at January 23, 2010 7:18 PM

As a nerdy, agoraphobic late-bloomer Asian going to a private school full of genetically blessed white kids from upper-class families, I assure you, it is totally possible to be ostracized in middle school.

Never wanted to read those books, but man, that baby hippo comment did get a giggle out of me.

Posted by: Annie at January 23, 2010 8:03 PM

I've read the books (at the recommendation of a ten-year-old friend of mine), and the film looks like a pretty faithful adaptation.

I was dubious about the books when I saw the covers, too, but I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed them (except for #2, really).

Heffley actually does a solid job of capturing the voice and thoughts of a middle school reject (I should know. Hey, Annie, imagine what it would have been like if you'd gone to public school in the ghetto instead of private school. That was me).

You can see my reviews of the books on my blog, if you're interested:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

P.S. I hate that stupid cliché of the kid walking up to a new school and the smothery mom embarrassing him. It's so overdone. Other than that, though, the film looks like a decent adaptation of the book.

Posted by: Jelinas at January 23, 2010 9:46 PM

I went to the same school until 6th grade. Then that year I went to 3 or 4 different schools. I also got glasses for the first time (REALLY GEEKY GLASSES) and I had a terrible perm. It was a miserable year. I succeeded at middle school, though--by 8th grade I was class president and valedictorian (but have to admit there were only 12 people in my class and I was living in a very backwards rednecky town).

I dread my own kids reaching this age but maybe a movie like this will be good for other awkward tweeners--a little catharsis for them.

Posted by: lainiefig at January 23, 2010 10:06 PM

God, I hate middle schoolers. They're all so awkward and loud. I feel bad for them, but want to smother them at the same time.

My sister is twelve, and while I love her very much, I can't deal when she's around even one friend. JUST STOP UNTIL YOU'RE TWENTY-THREE.

Posted by: vikky at January 23, 2010 11:41 PM

I know I just got past that age, but I'd still have no reservations about shoving middle schoolers into the nearest tar pit.

Posted by: George at January 24, 2010 1:43 AM

Luckily, like all Pajibian ladies, I have grown into a ravishing flower of womanhood who, should she ever meet any of the truly awful popular girls that she shared her middle school experience with, will eviscerate them with my razor wit and perfect rack.
Posted by: Nurse EagerBeaverBaby

Ok, I've got the razor wit down, where do I sign up for the perfect rack? Seriously, I've been here for years, I am owed. Everyone knows eviscerating is a lot easier with a nice rack. That's why Hollywood always casts hotties in action films and then dresses them in rack-accentuating leather outfits. It's a fact.

Posted by: BiblioGeek at January 24, 2010 5:45 AM

This movie is about the difficulties of the trek through the most uncomfortable period of the most hated time of anyones school life - Jr. High or referred to today as middle school. Jeff Kinney is dead on in his fun, tactful, and talented portrayal of one kid's ability to traverse this time in his life with all the physical and emotional problems that go along with growing up during this most difficult period between 6th and 10th grade. From the trailer and pictures we've seen so far, it appears the actor selected to play Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) nails the part.

This movie looks absolutely terrific based on the books and movie Trailer. Nobody seemed to complain when they took the cartoon drawings form the Harry Potter books and made them live action, so why is anyone complaining about the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” making it to the big screen. The pick of the actors looks pretty darn good. After all, they are taking stick figures, which are cute, and turning them into living breathing people. Not an easy task.

No one complains about the Percey Jackson books going to the big screen even though the kid in the story book is actually 11 and they are refocusing the kid and making him a 16 year old teenager (not true to the story at all). Where are all the criticisms of that?

The difficulty with Diary of a Wimpy Kid transitioning to the Big Screen from the bookk is that there aren't any real samples or character's depth that the actors can copy….they are creating the characters as close to the book portrayal of cartoon characters as best as possible.

I liked the trailer very much and who cares that if a mother embaresses her kid when she drops him off to middle school for the first time, and of that gag has been done before...so what? If it is funny and works for the story-that's good! If it makes us laugh-thats good! It looks like it’s gonna work and work well.

Everyone I knows, boys and girls, moms & dads are going to go see this hilarious movie. Mark my words…even the individuals who find the need to critisize it just from the trailer alone, whether or not they have read the books, but feel the need to criticize and talk a big game, but all of them will still be there at the theater when the movie opens, trust me! And they will be laughing along with the rest of us Wimpy Kid lovers.

In my families opinion, this is going to be one of the biggest hits of 2010....

Posted by: Sandra at January 24, 2010 7:14 AM

And Sandra, who did you play in the movie?

Posted by: Nadine at January 24, 2010 4:22 PM

I have 3 theories on Sandra's comment here:
1- She's an advanced spambot (theory supported by the spelling and sentence structure)
2- She's one of the producers of this film (also supported by the spelling and sentence structure)
3- She is 12 years old and just seriously did not get anything anyone wrote about this trailer (once again theory supported - and I hate to be repetitive - by spelling and sentence structure)

Whatever the case, I was laughing my ass off at her comment. Thanks for making my day.

Posted by: popejenn at January 24, 2010 4:30 PM

How many families do you have?
Grammar Bitch Awaaaaaaay!

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at January 24, 2010 4:34 PM

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Does it end a sentence in a preposition?! ITS GRAMMAR BITCH!!!*Cue inspiring soundtrack*

Posted by: Nadine at January 24, 2010 4:46 PM

With her Punctuation Pole!
It's. Not Its.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at January 24, 2010 5:08 PM

Sorry Nadine. Grammar Bitch couldn't resist. She is a dirty whore in that way.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at January 24, 2010 5:13 PM

*Shakes fist at the sky* DAMN YOU GRAMMAAAAAR BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH

Posted by: Nadine at January 24, 2010 5:14 PM

I love you, Lindsey "Grammar Bitch" with an 'e'...

Wait, "Grammar Bitch" doesn't have an 'e' in it, so that appellation no longer works properly... please feel free to slap my bare bottom a few times for the offense...

Posted by: MM at January 24, 2010 5:48 PM

Cute!!! You may check out agegaplove.com if you are interested in ageless relationships.!

Posted by: seeklove at January 24, 2010 8:35 PM

MM:
Grammar Bitch will slap you silly with her Grammar Glove and cane your rosy buttocks with her trusty Syntax Stick.
We can save the Punctuation Pole for the second date.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at January 25, 2010 12:20 AM

Syntax Stick! Ha! Good one.

Do your worst.

Posted by: MM at January 25, 2010 12:51 AM

Ooooh a Challenge! Maybe we can break out the Punctuation Pole a bit early.
And the Conjugation Cuffs.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at January 25, 2010 12:57 AM

I had an alright time in seniour school I did a lot of sport and theatre and had known my class since I was 6 plus all my friends were sort of the popular girls (we had no choice our school had only recently taken girls so there was about 30 of us in a class of 160) So school was a breeze.....aaaannnnnddd cue the toreent of abuse (ducks behind Nadine)
I was a little brat though, God if I ever had to teach a kid like me I would not be responsible for my actions, I once mad e a grown man cry. A grown man. I still feel awful about that, but he was kind of a pussy.

Posted by: Nieve 'The Threadkiller Queen' at January 25, 2010 6:07 AM

Watch out, Lindsey with an 'e', someone will poach your alter ego for feature film fodder. The only differences are Grammar Bitch becomes G-Girl, she fights an alien race of stray punctuation marks, and has the power to cause explosions with her Twitter iPhone app because Direct Michael Bay likes explosions.

Posted by: Robert at January 25, 2010 10:38 AM

My kid now is an eighth grader, and I manage a team of middle school kids. Trust me, they're not ALL bad. Right around the point where you want to drown them like a bag of unwanted kittens, they'll do something extraordinarily sweet or funny and you'll decide to let them live another day.

They're not yet cynical know-it-all teens and no longer can't-sit-still little ones. Sometimes they're worst of both but sometimes they're the best, too.

Posted by: Wednesday at January 25, 2010 11:24 AM