Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

Wimpy kid Greg Heffley embarks on the equivalent of National Lampoon's Vacation in this fourth film based on Jeff Kinney's 2014 ninth book in his popular children's book series. The plot hinges on a long car trip that turns into a series of slapstick disasters, including a horrible night in a seedy motel, a detour into a muddy bog, an encounter with a flock of hungry birds, and an eventful stopover at a county fair. Mom (Alicia Silverstone) plans to use the journey to her mother's birthday party to encourage her fractious family to bond, but dad (Tom Everett Scott) is preoccupied with his job back home, and older son Rodrick (Charlie Wright) is irritatingly blasé about everything, while Greg (Jason Drucker) schemes to change the route so that he can attend a gamers' convention. Greg succeeds, but in the process instigates a running feud with another family, which includes—in a sequence adults will presumably appreciate more than children—a weird take-off on the shower scene from Psycho. Like its predecessors, this entry features the same blend of frantic farce and sappy sentimentality, but while not a great family movie, youngsters will probably enjoy it. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Learn to Draw” tutorial (15 min.), “A Decade of Wimpy Fun” retrospective (14 min.), “Making a Scene” behind-the-scenes featurettes (12 min.), deleted scenes and bloopers (5 min.), “Road Games” (4 min.), “Greg Heffley's 10 Rules for the Perfect Road Trip” (3 min.), deleted animations (2 min.), a “Haulin' Through Georgia” location featurette (2 min.), and a gallery. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a family film that kids will appreciate more than adults.] (F. Swietek)