It's nimble, bright and funny. It doesn't dumb down. It doesn't patronize. It knows something about human nature.
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Does a great job of being in two places at once: In the head and gangly bodies of kids, and in the hearts of those of us who have survived grades 6-8.
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
It's eminently suitable for children, fully inhabiting their world and finding real laughs there without resorting to sentiment, condescension, or snarky in-jokes for the adults.
75
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
Crass, gross and juvenile in all the best (and worst) ways, Diary is aimed squarely at a tween "don't touch the cheese" demographic. And if you don't get it, maybe you're just too old for a good booger joke.
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A likable movie for kids that will make adults chuckle as well because of the movie's key ingredient -- wit.
70
Variety
Variety
It's a spry, fluffy comedy.
60
Village Voice
Village Voice
Sweet and funny at either end, but in between, it sags with endless repetition of gross bodily functions.
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
The kiddie audience will laugh a few times, but it would take an electron microscope to find an original idea or joke in this entire cartoonish movie.
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Kids may love the movie, and even kids who love the books may like it. For me, though, an astonishing percentage of the books' appeal has vanished.
30
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
A mean-spirited little movie, investing its limited charms in all the wrong characters.