Scary stories around the campfire is just one scene in a barrage of too-familiar skits.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3, Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid.JPG
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3, Dog DaysDiary of a Wimpy Kid.JPG
Just about every tried and true scene to make upper-primary schoolkids laugh has been bundled into the third instalment of the Wimpy Kid franchise.
Kids peeing in the pool, parents acting strangely, scary campfire stories and misbehaving dogs are just some of the scenes in a barrage of too-familiar skits that have been developed from the successful children's book series by Jeff Kinney.
But it's too much of the same and too Americanised. Instead of being funny, the movie's slapstick clichés wear thin quickly.
In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, it's the summer break (did I mention the over-Americanisms?) and Greg Heffley's (Zachary Gordon) checklist for the holiday is to play video games and get Holly Hills (Peyton List) to notice him.
Greg's parents' contrasting checklist is to spend active days outdoors and for dad Frank (Steve Zahn) to reconnect with his son.
Mum Susan (Rachael Harris) tries to establish a Reading is Fun Club and Frank thinks fishing and outdoor civil war re-enactment games might strengthen the father-son bond.
Not cool.
So, in a bid to gain Holly's attention and avoid working as an intern alongside his dad, Greg teams up with mate Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron) to spend his days at the Plainview Heights Country Club.
Not only is the plan to convince Frank that Greg has a job at the country club, but also to try and get closer to Holly, who's spending the holidays teaching young kids to play tennis.
Of course not all goes to plan and Greg's troubles worsen when he joins Rowley and his parents for a trip to a theme park.
It's the crux of the Wimpy Kid series - Greg getting into trouble and trying to find his way out . Repeatedly.
Devon Bostik's performance as Rodrick breathes some fresh air and non-strained laughs into a movie where overacting is standard.
Examples are scenes where Rodrick delivers a food bowl with the name "Sweaty" for new family dog Sweetie, and when the ink of his "tattoo" of the band Loded Diper starts running at the pool.
As the movie is full of clichés, perhaps a cliché is the best way to summarise it - the Wimpy Kid books are better than the movies.
IVY FLEMING