Book vs Film: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

The book

Told with a riotous blend of text and detailed diagrams and illustrations,'Jeff Kinneys Diary of a Wimpy Kid'examines the terrifying transition from the safety of primary school into the terrifying world of hormones, pecking orders and class schedules that is high school.

Greg Heffley, owner and supposed composer of said diary (or journal, as he prefers it to be called), may be officially a high school kid, but hes trailing behind the rest of the crowd in so many ways. With his voice nowhere near breaking, his growth spurt the stuff of dreams, and a best friend whos appallingly uncool, Greg knows that the next year is just as tough as his punk rocker brother says it will be.

And oh, how it is. Gregs life is full of those mundane but all-important things that characterise those early teen years, and his journal is a detailed account of events involving rotten cheese, dodgy Halloween costumes, broken bones and plenty of hygiene (or lack thereof)-related stuff. Theres no real overarching plot: essentially its an episodic account of amusing anecdotes all relating to navigating the waters of tweendom. And with the fun line drawings and simple prose, its a wonderful mix of the absurd and the familiar.

Part of the books charm lies in the fact that its written so bluntly and with an utter lack of reflection: Gregs concerns mostly relate to himself, and he rarely takes any time to think about the effect that his actions have on others. The cheery naivete of his account and the matter-of-fact drawings and descriptions are superbly innocent and utterly engaging, and even though Greg is merrily bulldozing through life, wreaking havoc wherever he goes, hes largely a likeable dork.

The film

In contrast, the film version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid'lacks this innocence, and though its a fun and friendly enough film, it doesnt have the cheery, light-hearted nature of the novel. The Greg of the film is hyper-aware of his actions and their consequences, so rather than the light-hearted mischief of the book, his on-screen antics instead seem to have a mean and self-serving edge. As such, hes a far less likeable character, and one feels much more aligned with his bumbling friend Rowley than with Greg himself.

The films plot is also far more structured than the books, and although many of the zany situations found in the book are also in the filmindeed, much of the dialogue is verbatimtheyre tied into this narrative structure, which involves Greg attempting to climb to the top of the school social ladder. Although this element is present in the book, its only a very minor one, and while forefronting it in the film makes for a neater plot structure, it also markedly changes Gregs character. And where in the book the final scene is fairly understated, in the film its about as saccharine as can be.

The actors, of course, affect the overall tone of the film, and the nuance added by Gregs actor (Zachary Gordon) adds a sense of sophistication that feels at odds with the general silliness of things and which provides the sort of too-mature reflective voiceover often found in TV family sitcoms. Gordons performance feels more appropriate to an older teen, and it almost feels as though this film would work better if shifted up a few years to target teens rather than the tween set. As it is, its caught in a weird limbo between a daytime Disney flick and a coming-of-age teen comedy.

Verdict?

The book comes out well ahead in this instance, although its interesting to see how two very different works can be created using an almost identical script. And who can resist Kinnys line drawings?

Support Read in a Single Sitting by purchasing Diary of a Wimpy Kid'(click on an image below)