Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

By Jennifer Green , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Kids break rules, face consequences in animated adaptation.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is an animated movie inspired by Jeff Kinney's mega-popular book series (and the follow-up to 2021's Diary of a Wimpy Kid). There's teasing, potty humor, mild taunts ("dummy," "stupid," and "nerd"), and misbehavior from teens and tweens. Rodrick …

Why Age 8+?

Characters run into things, fall down, are thrown out of a house, have things fa

The film ties into a book series and other spin-off films.

Greg's parents go away for the weekend to celebrate their anniversary. The lead

"Dummy," "stupid," "nerd," "I swear," "gee whiz." Rodrick's band is called Löded

Any Positive Content?

Family comes first. Relationships in childhood are carried over into adulthood.

Rodrick isn't nice to Greg and has a pattern of lying and cheating to get what h

The film is one of many based on a book series and could open up conversations a

The Heffley family is White. They live in an anonymous suburb. There are some ra

Violence & Scariness

Characters run into things, fall down, are thrown out of a house, have things fall on them, and make vomiting noises. Rodrick teases and insults his younger brother, gives him noogies, locks him in the basement, and threatens him. The parents drive crazily to get home quickly, going off-road and vaulting over a ravine. Greg is chased by security guards and elderly women.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close

Products & Purchases

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Greg's parents go away for the weekend to celebrate their anniversary. The lead singer of Rodrick's band says he's "got the mom vote -- not to brag." Greg is chased in his underwear by a group of elderly women accusing him of being a "peeping Tom."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close

Language

"Dummy," "stupid," "nerd," "I swear," "gee whiz." Rodrick's band is called Löded Diper. Bandmates laugh when "somebody farted."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close

Positive Messages

Family comes first. Relationships in childhood are carried over into adulthood. Bad behavior has consequences. Rodrick says "nerd stuff" like apostrophes will "get you beat up at school." He calls cheating merely "gaming the system." Rodrick is a poor student. "Life's not fair."

Positive Role Models

Rodrick isn't nice to Greg and has a pattern of lying and cheating to get what he wants, but he knows when he's gone too far, like reading and sharing parts of Greg's diary. He shows disrespect by throwing a raucous party in his parents' home while they're away. Greg takes some lessons from Rodrick in skirting rules and taking revenge. When he suffers negative consequences for these actions, he seems to learn his lesson. The brothers' parents and grandfather try to support their relationship. The parents also mete out fair consequences for bad behavior. Greg worries Rowley will embarrass him by acting his age around older boys.

Educational Value

The film is one of many based on a book series and could open up conversations about book-to-film adaptations.

Diverse Representations

The Heffley family is White. They live in an anonymous suburb. There are some racially diverse animated characters in the background of scenes.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is an animated movie inspired by Jeff Kinney's mega-popular book series (and the follow-up to 2021's Diary of a Wimpy Kid). There's teasing, potty humor, mild taunts ("dummy," "stupid," and "nerd"), and misbehavior from teens and tweens. Rodrick (voiced by Hunter Dillon) and Greg (Brady Noon) throw a party while their parents are out of town. Characters fall down, run into things, and drive wildly, but nobody gets injured. Rodrick is generally not nice to little brother Greg, and he teaches him how to lie and cheat. The brothers get caught regularly and face consequences for their actions. Their parents and grandfather try to support their relationship while teaching them life lessons about honesty, duty, and the importance of family. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.