Story
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is the fourth movie in the series based on the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid novels by Jeff Kinney. This movie is about young Greg Heffley (Jason Drucker), who’s frustrated at the thought of spending time with his family over summer when he’d much prefer to be having fun with friends.
Greg’s mother, Alice (Alicia Silverstone), has organised a family road trip across the country to visit Greg’s great-grandmother for her birthday. Although Alice tells Greg that he has to give up his phone and other technology for the trip, Greg tries his best to escape the clutches of his family so he can go to a nearby gaming convention.
Themes
Family and relationships; responsibility; technology; adventure and fun
Violence
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul has limited violence. For example:
- Characters hear a loud bang and are worried that might have been a gun being fired. This isn’t the case.
- There’s a car chase that leads to a car accident, but no-one is seriously hurt.
- When a character feeds a seagull while sitting in the car, the car is quickly swarmed by many birds. The characters try to protect themselves from the birds with their arms.
Content that may disturb children
Under 5
In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul has some scenes that could scare or disturb children under five years. For example, the movie shows a hotel that has been infested with insects and cockroaches. The hotel disgusts and frightens the characters.
From 5-8
Younger children in this age group might also be disturbed by the hotel scene mentioned above.
From 8-13
Nothing of concern
Over 13
Nothing of concern
Sexual references
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul has a scene in which a young child finds a bra in someone else’s suitcase.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Nothing of concern
Nudity and sexual activity
Nothing of concern
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul:
- X-Box gaming console
- New Balance shoes
- Uber.
Coarse language
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul has some mild coarse language, some insults and name-calling, and lots of humour related to bodily functions and characters being disgusted.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is the latest in this popular series based on the books of the same names.
It’s an enjoyablemovie that emphasises the importance of standing by your family and loved ones, even when you don’t want to. The movie highlights how rewarding family relationships can be when you put time and energy into them. It also explores the idea that other people can surprise you by bringing unexpected things to relationships.
There are a few scenes that might worry children under five years. We also recommend parental guidance for children under eight years because of the movie’s mild coarse language and occasionally crude humour.
You could talk with your children about:
- the scenes that show adults driving cars while using their phones
- communication between parents and children, and how to have conversations in a respectful but assertive way.