Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

Directed by Miguel Arteta, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day follows Ed Oxenbould’s Alexander as he triggers an awful day for his family, which includes dad Ben (Steve Carell) and mom Kelly (Jennifer Garner), by making a sinister birthday wish. It’s a family-friendly premise that’s employed to briskly-paced and unexpectedly engaging effect by Arteta, as the filmmaker, armed with Rob Lieber, delivers a breezy comedy that benefits from its smattering of laugh-out-loud funny set-pieces and assortment of agreeable performances – with, in terms of the latter, Carell and Garner offering up first-class work that elevates the picture on a regular basis. (And it doesn’t hurt, certainly, that the movie boasts fun cameos by folks like Donald Glover, Megan Mullally, and Jennifer Coolidge, although it’s Dick Van Dyke’s hilarious turn as himself that remains a bright spot within the proceedings.) There’s subsequently little doubt that the narrative’s inherent familiarity is rarely as problematic or distracting as one might’ve initially feared, and while certain subplots are less effective than others (eg Alexander’s brother, Dylan Minnette’s Anthony, slowly comes to the realization that he needs his family), Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day is, for the most part, an above-average endeavor that holds plenty of appeal for older and younger viewers alike.

*** out of ****