I didn't know anything about this movie so I entered the theater with no expectations. It was actually a pretty good movie. I liked it. It was funny. Rowley was the best. I wish I had a best friend like him...well except for the silly outfits. All in all, I really liked this movie. Good for kids and adults.
Decent watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend, especially for younger audiences.
The big problem I have with is this is that the protagonist is irredeemable until he's basically a broken person in the 3rd act, and even then he's not a better person, he's just punished for his shallow attempts of social power advancement so much that accidentally chooses the correct political move to stumble into a happy ending.
The rest of the movie is surprisingly good, and reminds me of a younger "Mean Girls" where the social environment of the social is dissected as if it a "natural environment" and there is a metaphoric pecking order of life or death.
There are actually a number of great characters and fun events that happen in this story with a good mix of abuse and absurdity humor.
It's not that it's a bad movie, but I just didn't enjoy the main character, so it's this weird dip in a well made movie.