I’m not sure who enjoyed the new Disney movie ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’ more, the adults or the kids.
Steve Carrell as the out of work, stay at home dad and Jennifer Garner as the stressed out on the go working mom are funny and quick witted.
There were lots of funny situations and lots of laughs from the audience as we follow the family through a day that is ‘cursed’ upon them by the midnight wish of their middle child Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) on his birthday.
Alexander wishes that his family, for once, would understand what it is like to be in his shoes and have a ‘Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’.
What ensues is mishap after mishap for each member of their family, and ultimately, the lesson that no matter what, family is first and families need to stick together to overcome challenges.
I loved the movie, and my 6 year old liked it too, even though many of the jokes in dialogue were over his head.
I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars, as a great family film, and great fun.
Second Review By
Sasha Glenn
Everyone has experienced ‘one of those days.” Those days when you wish you could press the rewind button and be back in bed, safely under the covers. You wake up late for work, forget your coffee at home, stub your toe, and it continues to get worse.
This is exactly the kind of scenario that unfolds in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” The comedy is a Disney adaptation of the children’s book originally written by Judith Viorst.
The film version has its nuances that set it apart from the book. It breaks away from just showing Alexander’s bad day, and takes the audience through a chaotic chain reaction of unfortunate events.
The film starts out following 11 year old Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould) through his very bad day. He wakes up with gum in his hair, and from there on out, things just keep getting worse. Each moment is cringe worthy, yet very funny. The expressions on Oxenbould’s face are priceless, and fit perfectly with his experiences.
At first, everyone but Alexander seems to be having a great time. That is, until he makes a birthday wish that has repercussions for the whole family.
Steve Carell (Ben Cooper) and Jennifer Garner (Kelly Cooper) were perfectly selected to play the role of Alexander’s mom and dad. Carell does a great job of being funny without overacting, and Garner has the look of a worried mom down pat. The comedic duo works out to be a very believable couple.
Just when life seems to be going smoothly, the Coopers wake up to a day that is best described as cursed.
Of all the days that could be bad, this one seems like the most inconvenient. Ben gets a job interview, while juggling the kids, and Kelly faces a terribly funny misprint in a children’s book her company publishes.
Alexander’s older brother Anthony (Dylan Minnette) commits epic fail, after epic fail as he tries to tackle the obstacles of a drive test, junior prom, and an impossible to please girlfriend.
His older sister Emily (Kerris Dorsey) stops at nothing to perform in her school play as Peter Pan. And I literally mean, she lets nothing get in her way.
The greatest thing about this movie is that it has so many little details that go awry for each character. It is very relatable and one of those scenes you just can’t look away from.
Everything moves at a fast pace, keeping the audience entertained. It delivers hilarious moment after hilarious moment, and in the end will leave the audience feeling warm and fuzzy.
I give “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” 4.5 out of 5 stars.
