Though often self-centered and conniving, Greg remains a likable kid, and the movie entertains by pulling off over-the-top scenarios that set up digestible life lessons for youngsters.
Dog Days doesn't have the emotional pull of the last installment in the franchise, but it's still a vast improvement over the irritating series opener.
Old-fashioned and small in scale, the movies sometimes feel like after-school specials from a bygone era, which is part of what makes them so endearing.
