'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day' Movie Review: The Good and the Bad

By Adelyn Torralba Oct 12, 2014 06:40 AM EDT

"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" is a film based on a book written by Judith Viorst and was published in 1972. According to Disney Movies, the official plot of the film "follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander as he experience the most terrible and horrible day in his life - a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another." Alexander made a wish for his family to really understand what he's going through. The following day, the perfect life of his family has gone well, less than perfect.

The film stars Jennifer Garner as Kelly Cooper; Alexander's mother, Steve Carell as Ben Cooper; Alexander's father Ed Oxenbould as Alexander Cooper, Dylan Minnette as Anthony Cooper; older brother of Alexander, and Kerris Dorsey as Emily Cooper, older sister of Alexander.

"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" is a family film - simple, funny, and sends a message about family and how to support each other. There's nothing spectacular about the film and maybe that's the intention. Remember that the film is based on a 28-page book and to be able to create a feature film out of that, is of course, already quite creative and remarkable.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, which gave a rating of 62 percent, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" is reasonably funny. It's family entertainment at its best. The comedy in the movie is derived from making the simplest task turned into a disaster when you're really having a bad day.

But there are those who think that the movie is bad. According to SFGate, it has pointless moving camera, countless close-ups and is sending all wrong messages - especially for a child to wish that his family have their own bad day too.

The movie has heart - it's undeniable. Alexander realizes his selfish intentions when he made that wish. On the other hand, Ben, as the head of the family, continues to take everything with a stride and trust that they can get through the day if they stick together. Who would not want a father like that.