Film review: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a family comedy that's too mild for its own good
A film that starts by having its protagonist trip over in front of the girl he adores probably isn't going to develop into a scintillating comedy.
Starring: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould
Director: Miguel Arteta
Category: I
A film that starts by having its protagonist trip over in front of the girl he adores probably isn't going to develop into a scintillating comedy.
Sadly, this is just the first of many corny pratfalls and situations that render the otherwise well-made Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day into an average family oriented excursion. Steve Carell's fans should also be warned: although he turns in a well-mannered performance, he is generally too subdued to be very funny.
One of the nicer, more unusual things about this movie is that director Miguel Arteta has made it a fully fledged ensemble piece which gives equal time, and equal import, to all its main characters.
The main man, or boy, is the titular Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould), a hopeful young lad who's about to turn 12. Things don't seem to be going right for Alexander: he gets gum stuck in his hair, his parents don't have time for him, and worse, all the children at school are going to a cool classmate's birthday party instead of his.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that other members of his suburban family seem to lead perfect lives. Big brother Anthony (Dylan Minnette) is on track to pass his driving test and take the hottest girl in school to the prom; sister Emily (Kerris Dorsey) is about to make a stunning stage premiere in the school's production of Peter Pan; and mother Kelly (Jennifer Garner) is in line for a massive promotion at a children's book publishing company.