‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’ review
Growing up in an overly optimistic family can be a burden, especially when your life is, for a lack of a better word, pretty crappy. That’s where audiences find Alexander in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day from Disney.
Ed Oxenbould stars as the titular character in a film adapting the Judith Viorst chidren’s book. When Alexander wishes his family could feel some of his pain, the subsequent events appear to make that wish a reality. Parenting struggles, problems at work, relationship issues, teenage drama and Steven Carell bring a string of gags and jokes in a fast paced 80 minute pic designed to entertain and keep the family friendly atmosphere.
While the Terrible, Horrible Bad Day gets crude and rude, it is never vulgar and in the end, a message about staying positive bubbles to the surface to encourage audiences. There are a ton of scenes every parent can relate to: that important date to prom, the teenager taking a driving test, an uncontrollable event at work – when things go bad, they seemingly go REALLY bad and director Miguel Arteta (Youth in Revolt, The Good Girl) hurls them on screen in rapid fire.
Carell stars with Jennifer Garner as the parents of the oddly normal family on a dysfunctional journey. Dylan Minnette does a great job a older brother juggling a selfish girlfriend and a gluttony of teenage anxiety. He headlines next years Goosebumps film alongside Jack Black, so fans can rest assured with that news.
Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie franchise) and Dick Van Dyke (appearing as himself) have great roles that audiences will certainly remember.
It not fair to be super judgmental of a film like Alexander which serves it purpose: entertain families. It’s clean, full of silly parts, but offers nothing new from the Daddy Day Care, Adventures in Babysitting genre. Sadly, fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid may feel cheated as the film seems like a Disney knockoff (a fair assessment in many ways). It’s all been done before, but the ride can still be fun.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day receives 2 out of 5 stars.
Add a star if you are a parent and need the 90 minute break by going to a theater and just having a couple of laughs.
