Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Review

I didn't really have any plans to see this movie, but I was asked to go and decided to tag along. The basic premise of the movie is that a family goes through pretty much the worst day you could possibly have, hence the title. It's a simple plot for a simple movie. I'll probably be referring to Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as just "this movie" or "Alexander". I have no desire to continually type that enormous title.

Based on the ads I saw, I wasn't expecting much from this film. Maybe some laughs, but not any emotional heft or weighty themes. It's a Disney movie that is obviously aimed at younger audiences, so you pretty much know what you're going to get. And Alexander delivered just that.

Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner are two big names that star as the parents of the family that the narrative follows. Steve Carell is a very, very funny man. He's proven that time and time again, both on the hilarious comedy series The Office and his many film pursuits. And, as I kind of expected, he was the best part of this movie. He stole all the scenes he was in, and quite often displayed how he was the most talented person on screen, at least from a comedic perspective. Garner was serviceable, but it's clear comedy isn't her strongest suit.

The actors that played the kids were all unknown to me. Ed Oxenbould played the title character, and while I wasn't blown away by his performance, it was pretty good in terms of normal child acting. Dylan Minnette and Kerris Dorsey were the other two kids, and also did an okay, but unremarkable job.

As I mentioned before, the film is more geared towards a younger demographic, and a lot of the jokes and writing show that. That being said, there was enough material here that adults will be able to appreciate, and thus conforms to the "family movie" mold pretty well. Don't expect to die laughing, but if you're kids want to go see it, you won't be bored by it.

There weren't any moments of gut-busting laughter in Alexander, and I never found myself tearing up, or even all that touched by the film's outcome. It's over-simplified, Disney-fied, and pretty much exactly what you'd expect. I can't really knock the movie for it, though. It sets itself up for being a specific type of movie, and it carries through on the promise.

If you go to see Alexander, just know what you're getting into beforehand. Don't expect too much out of it. Just a continuous series of very unfortunate situations resulting in a consistent stream of light chuckles. It's always likable, if utterly lightweight, but, as a whole, I did enjoy the brief time I spent with Alexander and his family. Seriously, this movie is extremely short, less than 90 minutes. Perfect for kids with short attention spans.

C+