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

Despite the awkward title, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a light, breezy and sometimes even hilarious kids comedy that harkens back to the simple live action comedies that the Disney Studio used to make.  It's a better movie than you probably expect, with an energetic cast, some laugh out loud moments, and a real sense of charm that carries the film.

Loosely based on the children's book by Judith Viorist, the film follows young Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould) who, on the eve of his 12th birthday, is having a string of bad luck.  He wakes up with gum in his hair, and a family that is so involved in their own personal lives, they seem to pay little attention to him.  When Alexander shows up at school, his day turns even worse due to a series of events.  First, a kid plays an on line prank on him that goes viral throughout the whole school.  Then his teacher assigns the class a project about different countries, and Alexander doesn't get to work on the country he's most interested in (Australia).  Even worse, he accidentally sets the school science lab on fire while working on a project with a girl he has a crush on (Sidney Fullmer), thoroughly embarrassing himself in front of her.  Finally, the most popular kid in school is also having a birthday party the same day as his, and all of Alexander's friends are planning to go to the other kid's party tomorrow.

While Alexander's world seems to be falling apart, his entire family seems to be on top of the world.  Dad Ben Cooper (Steve Carell) has been unemployed for months, but now has a promising job interview with a video game company.  Alexander's mom, Kelly (Jennifer Garner), seems to be on the verge to a promotion to Vice President of the children's book publishing company she works for.  His older brother, Anthony (Dylan Minnette), is set to take the most popular girl in school to the Prom and is about to get his driver's license.  Finally, older sister Emily (Kerris Dorsey) is set to play the lead role in the high school musical production of Peter Pan.  When Alexander tries to talk about his problems, his family just brushes it off as the kid having a negative attitude, and that there is no such thing as bad days.  It gets to the point that little Alexander wishes that his family could go through what he's feeling so that they could understand how he feels.

Similar to the 1997 Jim Carrey comedy, Liar Liar, Alexander makes a birthday wish that his family could understand him better.  Sure enough, the very next day, the entire family seems to be cursed with the same continuous string of bad luck that Alexander has been experiencing.  From that point on, the movie becomes a series of madcap and slapstick sequences as the entire family is forced to deal with one crisis after another.  The actors are more than up to the task, and give the movie a likably goofy comic energy.  Carell and Garner are especially good, particularly Garner, who gets some of the biggest laughs as she discovers too late a very unfortunate printing error in the company's new children's book that she somehow missed.  This leads to the film's funniest single moment, concerning a cameo by Dick Van Dyke (playing himself) that I dare not spoil.

Running by at a very swift 82 minutes, Alexander does a good job of building comedic momentum and never slowing down.  Sure, not all of the family's troubles are as funny as they could have been, but the movie never derails.  Even if some of the jokes don't hit as hard as they should, you're usually smiling because of the effort.  Indie director Miguel Arteta (best known for Chuck and Buck and Cedar Rapids) knows how to keep the cast in check so that things never get too crazy or stupid.  There is a certain sweetness that reveals itself as Alexander is forced to watch his family go through one crisis after another, and ultimately reminds them that it is the worst days in our lives that truly make us stronger.  This is not just a funny film, but a smart one that should speak in some way to both kids and adults.

The trailers for the film may lead you to believe that the movie is crude, crass and stupid.  That was my response to them, and I was not looking forward to seeing this film.  Fortunately, the movie is much better than advertised, and should hopefully find an appreciative audience.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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