After three films, this series is really starting to impress me. The series is not perfect and has it's flaws but what is so strange and so great about the series is it's always funny, always fun and with this film, it provides a lot of things in this third sequel that most third films don't and that is really why this film really makes the cut.
The plot of the film is geared to these characters who are obviously getting older and are now pre-teens. This movie is set in the summer with Greg (Zachary Gordon) who again is getting older and has a rather big love interest in Holly Hills (Peyton List). His dad (Steve Zahn) is also trying to connect with Greg and there is also has a nice side story that has Greg's brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick) trying to get closer to Holly's sister, Heather.
This film really works because of it's plot. It provides a lot of good things including some country club scenes and some nice "bonding" scenes with Greg and his dad even though Steve Zahn's acting is a bit over the top at times. There is also a pretty good scene involving a sweet sixteen party that has some pretty good music to it. The plot shows that all the characters have grown up and mostly in a good way.
Along with the two previous movies, Dog Days provides quite a few laughs throughout the film including some bizarre humor with the character Fregley. Rowley is also in many of the funny scenes and most of the jokes here are pretty original.
The performances also help the film. The characters all appear to be played just right and within each actor's ability. This could have been difficult with this being the third film and most the actors returning but they put out the same good performances that they did in the previous movies.
What I found to be different with this film from the other films, is that this one has a lot nice sets inducing the scenes at the country club, some scenes on a boardwalk and a couple scenes set in the wilderness. This may not help the movie all that much but they are nice to look at and are an added bonus to the film.
Even though it works on many levels, Dog Days struggles in some areas. There are some very unrealistic scenes including some in the school and a scene at a pool where it seems like some city ordinances are being broken by having way too many kids in the pool at one time. By the beginning of the the third act, the film does seem to drag and it has a hard time reaching it's conclusion.
Dog Days is good but in my opinion it is not better than the first film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I do think it is better than the second film, Rodrick Rules though. It is also a bit different and stronger then most third films in trilogy series as it doesn't rely on material from the first two movies and its starts "fresh". It is not an amazing or fantastic film but is still very watchable and I will probably watch at least a couple of more times.
3/5
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