Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Directed by: Miguel Arteta
Written by: Rob Lieber - Based on the book by Judith Viorst
Starring: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey, Elise Vargas, Zoey Vargas, Sidney Fullmer, Bella Thorne, Megan Mullally, Mekai Curtis, Lincoln Melcher, Donald Glover, Jennifer Coolidge
Comedy/Family - 81 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 8 Oct 2014
Written by: Rob Lieber - Based on the book by Judith Viorst
Starring: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey, Elise Vargas, Zoey Vargas, Sidney Fullmer, Bella Thorne, Megan Mullally, Mekai Curtis, Lincoln Melcher, Donald Glover, Jennifer Coolidge
Comedy/Family - 81 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 8 Oct 2014
I still remember walking down to the school library as a group with my first grade class to listen to the librarian read us “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” I recall her impressions and her emphasis. Judith Viorst’s 1972 children’s book is a classic; I hope librarians continue to read it to first graders. For Disney though, expanding a 32 page beloved book into a feature film requires a good deal of creativity to not just boil it down into low-grade, condescending, over moralizing family fare. Good news, Disney includes some edge into the film but the slapstick moments are so often and so heavy-handed, they almost drown out the most important message, sometimes each and every one of us have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.
The other major theme director Miguel Arteta showcases is that family supports one another even when it requires personal sacrifice. Arteta claims John Hughes as an inspiration on his vision for the film but it is hard to make the connection since Alexander is overly family friendly in a way Hughes never approached. It’s hard imagining Uncle Buck and The Breakfast Club in the same genre as the sappier and somewhat funny Alexander.
The other major theme director Miguel Arteta showcases is that family supports one another even when it requires personal sacrifice. Arteta claims John Hughes as an inspiration on his vision for the film but it is hard to make the connection since Alexander is overly family friendly in a way Hughes never approached. It’s hard imagining Uncle Buck and The Breakfast Club in the same genre as the sappier and somewhat funny Alexander.
Perhaps so many calamities befall this particular family on one day because they schedule just about every event possible to happen around the same time. Alexander’s older brother, Anthony (Dylan Minnette, 2013's Labor Day), has both his driver’s test and prom on this day. The opening night of older sister Emily’s (Kerris Dorsey, 2011's Moneyball) play, of which she is the star, occurs today and she develops a rough cold. Alexander’s mother, Kelly (Jennifer Garner, 2014's Men, Women & Children), has the biggest work day of the year with a book launch, a fact which must have been months in the making. Alexander’s father, Ben (Steve Carell, 2013's The Incredible Burt Wonderstone), earns some leeway as an out of work stay at home dad who has an impromptu job interview pop up.
The film’s first act follows the book; Alexander is the one member of the family who fate ordains will be unlucky, unfortunate, a scapegoat, and all around inadvertent troublemaker. All he is missing is a raincloud perched above his head. This maneuver is reminiscent of Where the Wild the Wild Things Are which had to stretch and fill in a lot of blank story and dialogue creating what is mostly an original screenplay even though it is adapted from an earlier source.
The originality is a major plus in the irreverence of certain scenes not included in the children’s book. For example, Jennifer Garner yells the film’s best line with, “I’ve seen every penis in the car!” referring to her husband and three sons. Bravo, Disney! This bit is truly funny without the inherent smarmy and lame quip which one expects from a PG-rated Disney movie. Another good move is opening up the characters and casting a wider net. The story does not focus exclusively on Alexander. He is the centerpiece but we still get a good share of mom and dad’s problems.
Don’t take that compliment too far though, as in, do not go and see Alexander without children. This is a movie for kids that parents may enjoy as well, but will enjoy it far more with an elementary school kid laughing at their side. Ed Oxenbould as Alexander hides his Aussie accent well and is age appropriate for the character (a move rarer and rarer these days) but his performance feels forced and over the top. He frequently over exaggerates the simple lines even when he is not burning down the science lab. Speaking of fire, there is a lot of it throughout the film which will always steer anybody’s day toward terrible and horrible. Alexander somehow lights the most flammable notebook ever on fire and then sets a large periodic table alight which must have been soaked in lighter fluid. Steve Carell then somehow sets his arms on fire. A bit too much fire here folks.
Despite the obvious set ups and a day with so much stuff crammed into it for any family in the history of families, Alexander is borderline recommendable for those with kids. Some of the situations are funny and Jennifer Garner’s penis line might honestly be the best line in any Disney film ever. No matter how audiences react to the movie though, at least I know the next generation of kids will either have a parent or librarian read them one of the best children’s books written in the past four decades.
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