Latest 'Wimpy Kid' is dog-gone goofy fun

Robert Capron, left, and Zachary Gordon star in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,' the third film in the franchise, which manages to accurately capture the teenage experience of summer. (Credit: Diyah Pera, 20th Century Fox)

While it isn't going to go down as a third act masterwork, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2.5 stars out of four, PG, opens Friday), the latest adaptation of the Jeff Kinney books, maintains the franchise's knack for getting kids right.

That's no mean feat, particularly in live-action movies where children are so often asked to be little grown-ups — including displaying their dark sides.

Not here. Wimpy has little interest in aging its heroes prematurely.

Like last year's Winnie the Pooh, Days is perfectly content in its juvenile nook, more interested in fleshing out a book's story lines than establishing a commercial tie-in.

Days begins with a premise that may seem quaint to parents and outright alien to kids: a summer with time to kill. You remember those: sleeping in, the public pool, boredom.

Kid embraces summer ennui. Even yearns for it.

Our preteen hero, Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon, who is getting more comfortable with each installment), is looking forward to a summer of laziness. Unfortunately, Greg's dad Frank (the charming Steve Zahn) has a different plan, and pressures his son to find a job.

Torn between laziness and appeasing his father, Greg hatches a pretty reasonable plot: tell his father he's working at the country club, where buddy Rowley (Robert Capron) can sneak him in as a guest.

Days isn't interested in going beyond that premise, so don't expect much in terms of kids learning the value of labor, first love or sibling relationships. Little Miss Sunshine, this isn't.

But credit director David Bowers for capturing the more innocent elements of being 12. He touches on crushes, but the PG-rated movie never ventures near sexuality.

And while Devon Bostick is entering that Hollywood-handsome stage, he's still just wide-eyed and pompous enough to convince as Greg's older brother.

Greg's character, in particular, is a throwback: he's crazy for girls and music, in the I Wanna Hold Your Hand kind of way, without the charm or singing talent.

It all makes for goofy fun, and physical comedy that will have parents rolling their eyes.

But that's always been Wimpy's point: What's the rush into adulthood?

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