Last weekend, MiceChat was invited to a screening of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Here are Scott Syme Jr’s thoughts on this family friendly film.
I arrived to the amazing El Capitan Theater at 9:30 am for a press screening. It was my first time in this classic Hollywood movie palace and I was stunned. They just don’t make movie theaters like this any more. We were treated to a suite of Disney songs played on the “Mighty Wurlitzer” pipe organ for the better part of half an hour before the movie began. It was incredible, and left me with a very nostalgic feeling. Then, at the stroke of 10 am, a series of curtains opened and raised in a sort of curtain show . . . and the movie started. Now that’s the way to start a show!
In a “Freaky Friday,” “Liar, Liar,” “Trading Places” sort of way…”Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” Is a story about an 11 year old boy named Alexander, who happens to be having one of the most horrible days of his life. His day entails many awful events for an 11 year old kid. Thinking that he is the only one in his family who can suffer through a bad day, Alexander wishes on his birthdays eve that his whole family would find out what it is like to have a bad day. His wish comes to pass as everyone in his family does in fact have a bad day! In this optimistic feature, we find that Alexander learns that bad days do not shape who you are; rather, it is how you react to the situations you are placed in that matters.
This film has some interesting aspects going for it as far as story is concerned. The writers were able to formulate distinctive single story plot points in how to ruin each of the characters day. They did a good job of keeping each bad day separate, but at the same time connected to the meta story. Audiences will appreciate that these storylines are not too confusing to follow and each is surprisingly charming.
The film was well cast, but it is really the leads, Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, who carry the film. I wouldn’t say this was Steve Carrel at his finest, but it is an honorable mention, he had some definite humorous scenes. I also think a major upside to the flick is that none of the kids or teens were annoying, as you might normally find in this category of film. The cast was pleasant and easy to watch, and had a great balance on screen. None of the actors especially stand out and run away with the show, there was just a good cast flow throughout the production.
There are many positives I can say about this movie. One being that it embraces the times in which we currently live. There are a lot of jokes about social media, hashtags and technology in general. Also, which I found to be a plus, is that the script worked in many different Disney jokes and references. I mean, come on, Dick Van Dyke stars as himself in a cameo! He is a huge Disney legend and fans are going to eat this up!
Going into this movie, I had only seen one short teaser. I really had no idea what to expect and this worked to my advantage. Seeing the TV promos and trailers for the movie after the fact, I realize that most of the big surprises are being given away, which is a real shame.
I would have to say that for me, the one big negative about this movie came at the end. As a viewer, we know that the film will resolve and everyone will live happily ever after. For this movie, I felt that the plot resolved too quickly and easily. For the writers to come up with such intricate storylines for theses characters only to easily resolve the plot through luck and circumstances at the end felt overly simplistic and unsatisfying. As interesting as it was to see these characters lives crumble for a day, I thought it was going to be more interesting to see how everything worked out in the end. The theme of ‘everything will be alright no matter what happens,’ ran throughout the movie, but this theme could have been explored in greater detail towards the end.
In short, kids 6-12 should love Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The humor is funny, and even risky as far as Disney humor goes and that will appeal to the younger set. Even parents should get a kick out of Alexander and his hard to remember very long movie title. I would say this movie is not childish, but rather childlike. And that’s a good thing for folks of all ages.
This movie isn’t going to get A+ ratings. Nor does it compete with recent Disney films such as Frozen or Maleficent. However, it is very much on par with the live action Disney films you may have grown up with, such as Freaky Friday or Herbie the Love Bug. This isn’t an instant classic, but it is family-safe fare which should leave everyone in your clan grinning.
You can see Alexander and his very long movie title beginning October 10th at theaters near you. And speaking of the title of this film, let’s have some fun . . . Let me know your funny version of the film title below.
All photos in this article copyright Disney.
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