Still ‘Wimpy,’ but slightly older

Still replete with awkward childhood moments, the third “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” follows an older and slightly more mature-looking Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), who’s ready to laze the days away during his much-awaited summer vacation.

But Greg’s travails in “Dog Days” further prove that growing up has its really tough moments, including connecting with his somewhat demanding dad Frank (Steve Zahn), and getting the attention of his classmate-crush, Holly (Peyton List).

As with the first two parts, “Dog Days” benefits from its cast of kid and adult actors; they’ve assimilated nicely into their cartoony world, adding to their characters substantially in this installment. Greg still gets into the most embarrassing situations, his bonds with his siblings, parents, and friends getting tested repeatedly throughout his far-from-idle summer.

This part is crammed with a bunch of storylines, but they’re coherently told and cleanly tied up. It’s a charming third part that manages to get the laughs at the right points, while cleverly exploring Greg’s periodically dysfunctional relationships and boyhood behavior.