Based on the children's book of the same name, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (which has to win something for being longest movie title of 2014) tells the story of Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould), a put upon 11 year old whose life never goes the way he wants, while for his family (led by parents Steve Carrell and Jennifer Garner) life couldn't be better. With his twelfth birthday looming, the tried and trusted birthday wish gambit comes into play, with Alexander wanting his family to experience one day in his shoes. What follows is a crazy twenty four hours for the Cooper family, where they have to deal with an ever escalating series of over the top problems.
With Chuck & Buck and Cedar Rapids under his belt, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day sees director Miguel Arteta go a bit more family friendly, delivering a perfectly entertaining, if somewhat slight, slice of fun for kids and adults alike. There is a strong vibe of old school, live action Disney (Blank Check and the Herbie movies come to mind) running through it as the plot jumps from one awkward event, including dad having an important job interview with baby in tow and Alexander's sister (Kerris Dowsey) taking far too much cough medicine just before stepping on stage as the lead in the school play, to another, and moves forward with a great pace that makes the 81 minutes fly by. There are plenty of chuckles to be had from the socially awkward scrapes the Coopers find themselves in, especially a great subplot involving Dick Van Dyke and a highly publicised children's book complete with unfortunate typo, which are pitched perfectly at both the kids and adults. The narrative makes little sense at times (seriously, who would schedule an important job interview and major book launch on the same day of one child's prom, anothers starring role in the school play, on top of their youngest's 12th birthday?), with the story's only concern being getting from one wacky event to another, but what do you expect? It's a perfectably serviceable family movie, trying its best to cater to everybody while remaining unoffensive to its audience. It does what it does, quite well at times, and the cast all seem to be having a blast, especially Carrell, who goes for all the big laughs, the high point being a one on one fight with a kangaroo.
A perfect diversion for all the family, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad is by no means terrible, horrible, no good, or indeed very bad.
With Chuck & Buck and Cedar Rapids under his belt, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day sees director Miguel Arteta go a bit more family friendly, delivering a perfectly entertaining, if somewhat slight, slice of fun for kids and adults alike. There is a strong vibe of old school, live action Disney (Blank Check and the Herbie movies come to mind) running through it as the plot jumps from one awkward event, including dad having an important job interview with baby in tow and Alexander's sister (Kerris Dowsey) taking far too much cough medicine just before stepping on stage as the lead in the school play, to another, and moves forward with a great pace that makes the 81 minutes fly by. There are plenty of chuckles to be had from the socially awkward scrapes the Coopers find themselves in, especially a great subplot involving Dick Van Dyke and a highly publicised children's book complete with unfortunate typo, which are pitched perfectly at both the kids and adults. The narrative makes little sense at times (seriously, who would schedule an important job interview and major book launch on the same day of one child's prom, anothers starring role in the school play, on top of their youngest's 12th birthday?), with the story's only concern being getting from one wacky event to another, but what do you expect? It's a perfectably serviceable family movie, trying its best to cater to everybody while remaining unoffensive to its audience. It does what it does, quite well at times, and the cast all seem to be having a blast, especially Carrell, who goes for all the big laughs, the high point being a one on one fight with a kangaroo.
A perfect diversion for all the family, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad is by no means terrible, horrible, no good, or indeed very bad.
