Whatever happened to the Wimpy* Kid? A year after the original film surprised adults by being a kids’ movie with a degree of wit, a sequel* arrives.

    The sequel is all about Greg Heffley’s home life, his inane* parents and bratty* brother. The gags are obvious, predictable* and dull, while the characters have been stripped of all life thanks to the filmmakers’ determination to stress quirks* over behavior.

    Zachary Gordon, a promising young actor, returns as Heffley, more confident now that he’s graduated to the seventh grade but still full of anxiety, this time over the appearance of a new girl in school, the lovely Holly Hills (Peyton List), who, everyone tells him, is out of his league*. Only the thing is, Heffley is never certain to what league he actually belongs.

    Had the movie followed a storyline involving his first crush*, it may have had some life. But this is a mere subplot in a story about the growing hostility* between Heffley and his older brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick). The latter’s incessant* harassment* along with his casual delinquency* edges the movie into the uncomfortable area of sick behavior, whether intended or not.

    Even worse though, mom and dad, again the luckless Rachael Harris and Steve Zahn, are so lame* that the adult actors are forced to mug their way through nearly every scene.

    Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah, one of the two writing teams from the original film, run through a series of tepid* gags involving roller-rinks, school hijinks* and a horror film viewed on a sleepover that gives Heffley and best pal Rowley (Robert Capron) nightmares.

    Animator David Bowers (“Flushed Away,” “Astro Boy”), making his live-action feature debut, directs as if he were still making cartoons. Gesture and facial expression are too big and character behavior hugely exaggerated*. (SD-Agencies)