First of all, let's get this out of the way. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Yes, they did RECAST THE ENTIRE FAMILY, all of 'em, even the dorky friend. They've all been replaced. Steve Zahn? Gone. Rachel Harris? Gone. Zachary Gordon? Gone. In their place we have Tom Everett Scott and Alicia Silverstone as the parents and Jason Drucker taking on the role of Zachary Gordon. Now, I love Alicia Silverstone....or did. Way back in the 90s, she was the "it girl" and she did some pretty great films back then, Hollywood hasn't really been kind to her since then. Her last MAJOR Hollywood film was Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, alright? So other than featuring on TV shows, she hasn't really done any worthwhile work in Hollywood films. This could have been her triumphant return to the big screen but the dialogue was bad, the plot was extremely stupid, and honestly, it looks like she was trying too hard to fit the role and it wasn't working. She was over-acting in most of her scenes and it made her look like a cartoon character more than the mom that Rachel Harris spent 3 films developing. The kid that took over the role of Greg (the main character) also seemed like he was trying way too hard to imitate Zachary Gordon. I imagine the producers probably sat him down and made him watch the previous Diary of a Wimpy Kid films so that he could perfect his imitation. Instead of being the role, he seemed like he was trying to be someone else being the role. It wasn't working.
Shame on you Warner Brothers for putting out this garbage. This film should never have been made. Not without the original cast and certainly not without the hilarious writing and quirky dialogue that made the previous films what they were. Instead of re-casting the family, they SHOULD HAVE made a sequel with the same cast, playing the same roles, but older in age.....because you know.....kids grow up, right?
Too long/Didn't read: Don't waste your time on this stinker. Pretend it doesn't exist and just continue to enjoy the previous films for what they were.
Shame on you Warner Brothers for putting out this garbage. This film should never have been made. Not without the original cast and certainly not without the hilarious writing and quirky dialogue that made the previous films what they were. Instead of re-casting the family, they SHOULD HAVE made a sequel with the same cast, playing the same roles, but older in age.....because you know.....kids grow up, right?
Too long/Didn't read: Don't waste your time on this stinker. Pretend it doesn't exist and just continue to enjoy the previous films for what they were.