Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Story

Laidback middle school student Greg (voiced by Aaron D. Harris) finds himself in conflict with his father, Frank (Chris Diamantopoulos), who’s worried that Greg lacks basic life skills and discipline. As Greg experiences mishap after mishap, Frank is convinced his son is headed down the wrong path, so he threatens to send Greg to a military academy. In a desperate attempt to avoid this, Greg persuades his dad to let him prove his responsibility by joining a Scouts club called the Woodchippers.

Unfortunately, Greg’s habits of being dishonest and taking shortcuts catch up with him when Frank discovers that Greg is lying to earn his badges. Feeling disappointed, betrayed and angry, Frank enrols his son in military school.

With the Woodchippers camping weekend looming, Greg has one last chance to show his father that he’s capable of real change. Will he be able to change his ways in time, or is he destined to spend a miserable 4 years at military school?

Themes

Father-son relationships; masculinity; dishonesty; family conflict; crude humour

Violence

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw has some violence. For example:

There is significant slapstick, comic violence throughout, but no-one is significantly injured.
Greg slips on a puddle when getting out of the shower. He slips over and slams into the wall.
Greg berates and verbally bullies other characters at his school.
Greg falls backwards when trying to turn the key in a lock. This causes a series of slapstick events, in which several objects fall and nearly crush him.
Frank drives in a dangerous way, nearly hitting several other cars and causing several neighbours to yell at his car.
Frank yells at Greg several times.
A man snaps at his wife, and they argue briefly.
Greg stomps hard on his friend’s foot to stop him from talking.
In a military context, adult men yell at younger boys.
A young male character screams in pain when he gets a splinter.
A character has a set of weights fall on him, crushing him and making his eyes bulge.
Greg causes a series of slapstick events in a gym. Several people are hit by objects or mildly injured by various pieces of gym equipment.
An older teenager physically threatens a younger boy.
Frank is visibly angry with Greg, stomping around angrily and slamming items. Frank then enrols Greg in a military school without his consent.
Greg holds on to a out-of-control lawnmower. This causes a slapstick sequence of accidents, in which Greg is hit by or runs into various Christmas decorations and other objects.
A small dog attacks Greg, biting him on the bottom.
A nest of wasps stings a character all over their face.

Sexual references

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw has some sexual references. For example:

There is a drawing of Greg and another young male character as muscly men, with the label ‘beefcake’.
An elderly woman sees a young man. She fans herself and exclaims, ‘Now that’s a beefcake!’

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no use of substances in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw.

Nudity and sexual activity

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, Greg and another male character are shown in their boxer shorts in a non-sexual context.

Product placement

The following products are displayed in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw: the movie Home Alone is briefly shown on a TV.

Coarse language

There is some mild coarse language and insults in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, including ‘twerp’, ‘tooted’, ‘stupid’, ‘butt’ and ‘screw-up’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is a funny, slapstick animation based on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise. It’s suitable for families with slightly older children, but you should note that the characters have generally negative relationships with each other and children are often rude, dishonest and disrespectful to their parents.

Because of its animated violence, crude humour and themes, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw isn’t recommended for children aged under 7 years. We also recommend parental guidance for children aged up to 9 years.

The main messages from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw are that lying is never the best answer and that failure is part of personal growth.

Values in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, perseverance, responsibility, family support and connection.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues and questions like the following:

Greg lies to the people around him and treats them as less important than himself. Why is this behaviour not OK? What would happen if you behaved this way in real life?
Greg bullies another character. How does bullying affect people? What should you do if you’re being bullied?
Frank is very competitive about his children’s achievements, which often has a negative effect on Greg. Does Frank mean well? What could Frank do differently?
Frank shows a lack of respect for or interest in Greg’s interests. Why is it important for children to follow their own interests, and how can parents help them do this?