Throughout our childhoods, there have been countless movies that have shaped us into the people we are today and will always exist to remind us of another time. One of the movies that I and so many others have experienced this nostalgia for is Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

These movies, first coming out in 2010 following the release of the cartoon books written by Jeff Kinney in 2007, had everyone extremely excited to go to theaters to watch. These books, before the films were released, were already extremely popular amongst the kids in our generation. If you weren’t reading these books in middle school, chances are you knew someone who was. The name Greg Heffley was a well-known one. 

The story of Diary of a Wimpy Kid follows the life of misunderstood 6th grader Greg Heffley and his family and friends. Between dealing with the tortures of his older brother Roderick, his spoiled younger brother Manny, his cringey parents and his best yet, also dorky friend Rowley, Greg’s life never has a dull moment.

As this story is about a kind entering middle school who just wants to be popular and liked, this story was super relatable to so many of us that found ourselves in the same situation. In trying to navigate life as the black sheep of his family and friends, Greg makes many choices throughout the film that earn him some bad consequences.

We get to watch a child make mistakes, learn from them, and find out who he is and how he fits into this new school and new place with new people. The film adaptation follows the books almost completely down to a T, which left both the comic fans and newcomers satisfied and laughing. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid may be a movie about a kid, but even as adults entering or in our 20’s, the comedy and storylines of these movies, sequels included, are timeless. They’ve given us so many iconic scenes and lines like “Zoo Wee Mama,”, “The Cheese Touch,”, and Rowley’s famous scene of “Don’t call me, don’t come by my house, we’re done.” Though it may be more of a comedic rewatch as adults than it might’ve been as a kid, one thing that’s for sure is that the joy is still very much there along with the entertainment.

If you haven’t seen this franchise on screen since you were a kid, or maybe you’ve never seen it at all, it is 100% worth the rewatch. You’ll recognize a lot of actors from more of your favorite shows and movies and get to experience the universal nostalgia that is Diary of a Wimpy Kid.