Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Short description
Greg Heffley is starting seventh grade with more confidence than before, having put middle school and its infamous Cheese Touch behind him. At home, though, things are harder: his older brother Rodrick keeps finding ways to make his life difficult. When their parents decide the two boys need to spend more time together, Greg finds himself stuck with his main tormentor, and he also hopes to get noticed by Holly Hills, a new student at school.
The film is a family comedy directed by David Bowers, following his animated features Flushed Away and Astro Boy, and it is the second of four Wimpy Kid films he directed, ahead of Dog Days and The Long Haul. Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah wrote the screenplay, and Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson produced. Zachary Gordon plays Greg, with Devon Bostick as Rodrick, Robert Capron as Rowley, Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn as his parents, and Peyton List as Holly, among a credited cast of 56.
Released in March 2011, the film had a budget of 18 million dollars and took about 72 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its cost. On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from 42,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.7 out of 10 from 1,298 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 5.5 out of 10 from 98 reviews, placing professional opinions slightly below the general audience response.
What's left behind the scenes
- While preparing for filming, Devon Bostick (who played Rodrick) learned to play the drums.
- In the television show scene, Lane McNeil sings herself.
- A significant portion of the gags in the cleaning scene were improvised by the actors themselves.
- The photographs in the Heffley family home are actually childhood photos of the actors. According to director David Bowers, this added realism to the corresponding scenes.
- The game Gut Busters, which the kids play with their grandfather in the nursing home, was invented by screenwriter Jeff Kinney. All the cards are written with jokes – generally, indecent ones.
- A significant portion of the audience at the talent show are not extras, but inflatable mannequins.
- In the church scene, as Father Holly (played by Peyton List), screenwriter and author of the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' series, Jeff Kinney, appeared on screen.
- In the car wash scene, Greg (played by Zachary Gordon) first smears a dirt stain, creating a small circle, then the next shot shows a circle of dirt with a significantly larger diameter, then it disappears altogether, and then reappears.
- In one scene, the kids repeatedly take bites out of their hot dogs, but in the very next shot the hot dogs are shown whole.
- When Robert Capron and Zachary Gordon's characters talk about a party near their lockers, Capron's words are heard, but his lips remain still.
- In the car wash scene, Greg (played by Zachary Gordon) first smudges a dirt spot, creating a small circle. In the next shot, the circle of dirt becomes significantly larger. Then it disappears, only to reappear again.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
