In Rodrick Rules, most of the cast returns as Greg (Zachary Gordon), Rowley (Robert Capron) and the other outcast kids, Chirag (Karan Brar), Patty Farrell (Laine MacNeil) and Fregley (Grayson Russell) move up the ladder to 7th graders. Missing this year is Greg's romantic interest from the first film, Angie (Chloe Moretz), and in her place is new-girl-in-town, Holly Hills (Peyton List).
Of course, Greg's family also returns. Between his parents, Susan (Rachael Harris) and Frank (Steve Zahn) and his brothers, Rodrick (Devon Bostick) and the younger Manny (Connor Fielding), Greg will have his hands full both in school and out.
While the last movie focused on Greg attempting to distance himself from his nerdly reputation with the new school, this time, Greg is all about catching the eye of Holly. After all, she's new, and she doesn't know about his past, right? Well, early attempts to get Holly's attention run afoul when Rodrick steps in and makes a fool of Greg, and that is just the start in a series of escalating sibling rivalry.
This all builds up until the parents leave town and Rodrick decides to throw a party. Greg and Rowley get into the party with a little parental blackmail and when Greg and Rodrick have to work fast to get the house back into shape sooner than they expected, a new bond forms between them. Now, it's Greg and Rodrick against the parents, and as long as they can convince them that nothing bad went on while the rest of the family was away, they will have it made.
While the main story focuses on Greg's attempts to catch Holly's eye and the rollercoaster of a relationship between the older Heffley brothers, there are several side-stories in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules as well. One has Greg convincing everyone to act like Chirag is invisible, while another concerns an approaching town-wide talent show. Not only is Rowley planning on entering as a magician, but Rodrick's band, Loded Dyper, has decided perform as well. In fact, the ringer they bring into the band, Bill, is played by Fran Kranz whom Dollhouse fans will fondly remember as Topher.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules's special features are okay, but there isn't anything too extraordinary here. The gag reel is funny, as always. There are a few deleted scenes and an alternate ending, as well as seven shorts that ask the various characters what they did on their summer vacation. Like I said, your fairly average collection of bonus features. As for the Blu-ray benefits, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules looks and sounds really good in high definition, but there isn't much about the film that begs for the added quality. At least this version also comes with DVD and digital copies, which is always nice.
I actually enjoyed Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules more than the first film. There was a lot more here story-wise, and quite frankly, I liked the character of Greg a lot more this time around. In the first film, he was just a jerk, especially to Rowley. This time around though, he is a much more well-rounded character. In the end though, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a rental, and then, only if you've seen the first one, or know enough about the books to already be familiar with the characters.
