Greg`s Diary 2- Is there trouble?

While they are no longer freshmen at school, it doesn`t really make life any easier for Greg (Zachary Gordon) and his best friend Rowley (Robert Capron). Greg's older brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick), in particular, never misses an opportunity to make Greg look like a complete idiot. Just when Holly Hills (Peyton List), who Greg has his eye on, is around, Rodrick goes into overdrive with his vulgarities. But when Greg helps his brother hide a party that got out of hand from their parents (Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn), the brothers slowly grow closer - and even have a really good time together. But, of course, the peace doesn`t last long.

Greg`s Diary 2 - Is There Trouble? follows closely the concept of the first successful film adaptation of Jeff Kinney`s cult books. Directed by David Bowers, who has so far worked primarily on animated films (including Flutsch und weg), it once again alternates crude slapstick and warm-hearted moments, with fecal humor predominating, especially in the first half. Thus the level, which was already in the first part again and again badly on the tipping point, sinks in some moments of this sequel clearly. Sure, kids will be able to laugh at the numerous body exhalation and excretion jokes, but you are left with the feeling that the film sells itself far short in such moments.

Because the relationship between the brothers is much better and more entertainingly fleshed out in this second part. At many moments, the whole thing feels like a cross between the TV series Malcolm In The Middle and Wonder Years, though Greg's Diary 2 as a whole doesn't come close to matching the anarchic wit of the former or the charm of the latter either. But in many scenes, director David Bowers has done a good job of capturing the charm and wit of the book's original, even providing a fairly authentic look at the not-always-easy relationship between siblings.

Children who are around Greg's age, and for whom this film - like the books - is made, will hardly be bothered by the weaknesses. For them, the sequel also has enough entertainment value to justify a visit to the cinema. Whether the interspersed comic sequences, which were taken directly from the book, the convincing actors and the in its best moments quite authentic look at the relationship of two brothers in or on the threshold of puberty, aspects like these make Greg's Diary 2 - Is there a problem? despite all its weaknesses still worth seeing. If you liked part 1, you can safely browse through the new diary of Greg Heffley!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp