Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 10, 2017

What a difference a supposed year makes, especially when that supposed year is actually five years. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days appeared in 2012 and at that time was the third in what had been a more or less annual release schedule of Wimpy Kid films, following in the wake of 2010’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid and 2011’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. While the first three films each introduced at least a couple of “new” characters, the wimpy kid himself, Greg Heffley, was always portrayed by Zachary Gordon, and a number of other major supporting roles were essayed by the same performers in all three films. Though Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is ostensibly set only a year after the events detailed in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, while the names may have stayed the same, the actors are all different, probably not a huge surprise given the five year interim between the two films and the fact that juvenile actors, well, age. Unfortunately for this on again, off again franchise, something else that maybe should have changed hasn’t — a screenplay that only fitfully achieves the deadpan humor of Jeff Kinney’s celebrated book series (this despite the fact that Kinney himself collaborated on the adaptation). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul has moments of passing humor, but overall it’s a kind of tired enterprise that plays like a middling family oriented sitcom. Younger kids especially will probably find enough goofball comedy in it to make it an enjoyable viewing experience, but older teens and (especially) adults will probably feel like this is one haul that is too long and probably not worth the effort.

It’s perhaps indicative of the general level of “sophistication” of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul’s humor that the traumatic incident which sets everything else in motion is Greg (Jason Drucker) getting a used diaper stuck to his hand in an indoor play facility’s ball pit, something that is captured by hordes of passers by on their cellphones and then which becomes a viral video sensation, sending Greg into a tailspin of depression. The entire Heffley family is about to set off on a road trip in any case, in a plot device that actually makes this installment of the Wimpy Kid series play a lot like the similarly vignette driven National Lampoon's Vacation .

Considering the whole viral video angle, you might think Greg and his siblings (not to mention Mr. Heffley) would be fine with giving up their electronic devices for a while, but when Susan (Alicia Silverstone), AKA Mom and Mrs. Heffley, intervenes early in the trip and demands them all herself, that sets a chain of events into motion that plays out against some silly bits involving horseplay on the road. Greg is especially keen to retrieve his cellphone since he’s figured out there’s a Comic-Con like expo that will be taking place very close to their ultimate destination, the home of the Heffley grandmother.

A number of sidebars of course intrude, including an ongoing feud with another family who repeatedly crosses the Heffleys’ path, but this film wrangles surprisingly few real laughs out of the proceedings. There is an undeniable prevalence of lowbrow, often bathroom themed, humor running through this enterprise, and there’s frankly only so much comedy that repeated trips to the veritable facilities can offer. The film features an entirely new Heffley clan this time around, with the aforementioned Drucker and Silverstone joined by Tom Everett Scott as Frank, the Heffley male parental unit, and Charlie Wright as older brother Rodrick. (Twins Wyatt and Dylan Walters portray little brother Manny, who is mostly consigned to a few sight gags.) The film is relentlessly noisy and demanding, kind of a like an unruly kid in the backseat of a family station wagon. Some adult may be tempted to turn the figurative car around and go home rather than continue on this particular road trip.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Online sites list a generic "HD" to allude to what I assume is this film's digital capture, and the presentation here is often bright, extremely colorful and well detailed. A lot of the film takes place out of doors, and that natural lighting helps to support excellent fine detail levels, especially when the Heffley clan gets out of its car. There's an almost candy coated palette that's exploited throughout the film, and some of the bright pinks and purples are extremely vivid and well saturated. There is a slight deficit of detail on some panoramic wide shots (including a couple that have been digitally tweaked for "special effects" reasons). Some of the most appealing aspects of the film are the animated interstitials featuring Kinney's distinctive drawing style, and those offer good line detail and sharp delineation in the black and white imagery.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul features a boisterous sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, one which provides near constant surround activity courtesy of elements like the raucous crowds surrounding the unfortunate ball pit incident, or even out on the road where a series of disasters await the Heffley family. There's a perhaps surprising lack of source cues in this film, but there's still regular immersion courtesy of well placed ambient environmental sounds and directional dialogue. The entire track boasts great fidelity and smart prioritization.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making a Scene (1080p; 12:20) is a set of three behind the scenes featurettes documenting the shooting of several sequences.


• Greg Heffley's 10 Rules for the Perfect Road Trip (1080p; 3:03) intercuts brief snippets from the film with voiceover and Kinney's illustrations.


• Road Games (1080p; 3:53) is basically just another assortment of clips.


• Learn to Draw (1080p; 14:26) features Kinney giving a lesson to any budding illustrators out there.


• A Decade of Wimpy Fun (1080p; 13:26) looks back over the history of the franchise.


• Deleted Scenes and Bloopers (1080p; 4:34)


• Deleted Animation

  Perfect Family (1080p; 00:42)

  Boat (1080p; 00:42)

• Haulin' Through Georgia (1080p; 2:19) takes a look at some of the location work.


• Gallery (1080p; 2:10) offers both a Manual Advance and an Auto Advance option. The timing is for the Auto Advance option.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:26)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul features a few decent sequences, including a kind of gonzo sendup of the infamous shower sequence from Psycho, but it journeys to the juvenile side so often that its already sporadic laughs become virtually nonexistent long before the Heffleys get to grandma's house. The cast is energetic, probably mugging too much to help overcome some of the deficits of the screenplay, but there's simply not enough humor to support their frantic efforts. That said, as mentioned above, the youngest tots will probably get a kick out of this film, at least if their parents aren't overly concerned by them being exposed to an hour and a half of potty jokes. Technical merits are strong and the supplementary package relatively enjoyable for those considering a purchase.