Spinning off from a simple premise that began as a cartoon novel — Greg (Zachary Gordon; think The Wonder Years’ Fred Savage) starts middle school dead set on being the popular guy — this kids flick mounts a series of set-pieces around toxic cheese, wrestling, mother-and-son dances, nightmare school plays, with the only through-line being Greg’s friendship with chipper fat nerd Rowley (Robert Capron).
It’s episodic in the extreme, emotionally superficial and outstays its 92 minutes, but it has the appeal of a Junior American Splendor, boasts moments of sharp wit and is well-played by a likable cast, including Kick Ass’ Chloe Moretz as a too-cool-for-school outsider.
