“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst is the classic children’s story chronicling a most unfortunate series of events one day in Alexander’s life. Now a major motion picture, Disney has made Viorst’s beloved story into a family film, casting stars such as Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner to continue the tale for today’s children.
In the film, 11-year-old Alexander experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life. Mirroring the book, the story begins with Alexandar finding gum stuck in his hair, and tripping on his skateboard as he climbs out of bed. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy. He begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him: his brother is dating the cutest girl in the whole school, his sister is a rising theatre star, his father is on the brink of finding a new job, and his mother is about to be promoted. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his brother, sister, mom and dad all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Alexander discovers he isn’t the only one who ever has the bad days. He finds himself on the other side of luck sometimes.
One of the first scenes begins in Alexander’s bedroom, where we see the familiar mishaps that kicked off his bummer day. Through much of the beginning, the movie follows the book with only minor changes. What make’s the movie a potential blockbuster is it’s continuation of Viorst’s story. The viewer is taken past Alexander’s horrible day and continues on to the next day, when it’s able to get clever and change things up a bit.
With Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner heading the cast, as dad and mom, the movie stays on par. Throughout the story, family proves to be the most important thing in life, although it often acts as a double edged sword. There are constant situations in which the family integrity is damaged, but it is always accompanied by an attempt to hold the family together. Carell, the forever-optimistic glue that holds the family together, at one point is forced to admit his own defeat and submit to the fact that everyone has bad days once in a while. It’s a classic scenario that many families have experienced before—that’s why the message sticks.
Not only is Carell trying to keep the family together like a good father should, Alexander is constantly battling his own popularity in his elementary school with another kid in his same grade. A classic elementary battle unfolds consisting of who’s got the coolest stuff, or the newest toy, or the most rad parents: a thing many young children can relate to.
Alexander is a movie that anyone who has ever had a family or been a part of one can relate too. It’s a classic children’s story that contains lessons and familiar humor anyone can enjoy.
