The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies have been some of the best family entertainment movies in recent years and the latest installment, Dog Days is no exception. Dog Days is the third movie based on the books by Jeffrey Kinney and is continues the tradition of consistently good story telling and lesson learning.

The entire cast is back for with Zachary Gordon playing Greg Heffley, the “wimpy kid.” The movie begins on the last day of school and Greg has some big plans for the summer…play video games nonstop. He might even spend some time with Holly Hills (Peyton List), the cute girl, if he can only get her phone number. His father Frank (Steve Zahn) has other plans for Greg which includes any outdoor activity. His mother Susan (Rachael Harris) wants Greg to participate in a book club reading “Little Women.”

Greg finds some relief when his friend Rowley (Robert Capron) invites him to the country club that his family belongs to. And who should he find there? The lovely Holly giving tennis lessons to younger children. In order to impress Holly, Greg pretends that he has his own membership. But this lie gets complicated once Rodrick (Devon Bostick), Greg’s older brother, finds out that Holly’s sister also works at the club and wants to be sneaked in. Meanwhile, Greg’s dad tries to find new ways for him and Greg to bond by joining the two up for scouts.

The Wimpy Kid stories are told from Greg’s perspective. Every boy in the audience will be able to relate to the “horrors” Greg has to endure like wading through the men’s locker room at the local pool, putting up with your best friend’s parents and taking care of your little brother. The Heffley’s are a happy, yet imperfect family. The movie doesn’t show off Harris’ comedic skills and Zahn plays the dad role a little over the top, but they still provide a solid family unit.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is one movie where you can take your children AND grandma too and nobody will be embarrassed. Despite its’ PG rating, it is actually good clean entertainment with a few life lessons thrown in for good measure. This film hasn’t received a lot of press and might be in and out of theatres quickly which is a shame because it is really a great film. Fans of the books will love it.

(Main Image: 20th Century Fox)