Alexander and the...Very Bad Day

I have a confession to make, I was not prepared to like this movie. But let me tell you why...

If you read my post from yesterday, you know that Jonathan worked as a featured background guy on the new Disney movie, Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. And if you did read all about it, you know that I'm going to be completely insufferable, but that's not important right now.

Movies are not made in a perfectly sequential order. You probably knew that, and I think I did, too, but I wasn't quite prepared with how jumpy and seemingly untethered the story appears as they are working on random scenes. Plus, they shoot scenes over and over and over which is how the director decides which "take" tells the story best.

It makes very little sense to those of us in the peanut gallery.

And, of course, we were only on the set for a few days, so we had absolutely no context for how they were making a 37 page children's book into a 2 hour movie. 

We spent a lot of time (waiting to go on) with the sweet little green-faced twins (little girls) who play the baby, Trevor. And couldn't quite fit him (them) into the story. But as it turned out, that baby was one of our favorite characters once we saw the actual film.

Who knew?

So here's my confession: before I saw the film, I didn't believe. There. I said it. Don't judge.

The movie follows Alexander, a soon to be 12 year old, as he has the very worst day of his young life. He believes he's the only one that ever has bad things happen. 

The next day, he finds out that his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn't had one.

We went to see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at the Walt Disney Studios (which is already a magical place) with some of Jon's friends and our neighbors. Our group ranged from ages 10 to 20 (not counting me, of course) and every single one of us loved it. 

You know that cliche thing you say, "It's got something for everyone." It's true in this case. The kids loved it. The teens loved it. The adults loved it. Something for everyone.

Congratulations, Disney. You made a wonderfully entertaining family-friendly comedy. I'm sorry I doubted you. 

Also, in case you've forgotten, when you go see the film, (and you must!) remember that Jon was in the limo. #jonwasinthelimo

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day opens in theaters everywhere today, October 10th, 2014.

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

I had the absolute pleasure to attend the press junket last week for the newest Disney release, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. A day at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills? Yes, please.

I had already seen (and immensely enjoyed) the film, so I was really looking forward to hearing what the actors had to say. There were 2 panels. The first being made up of the director, Miguel Arteta, the producers: Lisa Henson and Dan Levine, and the screenwriter, Rob Lieber.

To my everlasting delight, director Miguel Arteta invoked the mighty name of John Hughes (let's observe a moment of silence, please) as his inspiration for the way the film unfolded. "Yes!" I thought, "That's exactly how I would've done it." (Of course, that's the way I would have done it in the alternate universe I inhabit where I am in charge of the world, but that's not important right now.)

Call me old-fashioned but I love the idea of bringing back family comedies. The cast seemed to feel exactly the same. 

Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner play the quintessential harried parents trying to raise a family and keep it together for one, crazy, terrible, everything-is-going-wrong day. Steve played it, he said, very much like he interacts with his own kids and wife in his real life. I liked that very much.

Ed Oxenbould is impressive as Alexander, the titular character who can't seem to catch a break on this particular day. He plays an American 12 year old obsessed with Australia, which is ironic because he's actually Australian, but he sounds completely American. (Are you still following?) HE'S AUSTRALIAN, BUT HE'S DOING AN AMERICAN ACCENT. You would never be able to tell unless I shared that with you. Just keep that in mind when you see the film. You're welcome. 

The thing that struck me the most about this junket is how comfortable the actors were with one another. They interacted like, well...a real family. 

And you know how much I LOVE family. Well played, Disney. Well played.

The press junket ended with a special surprise performance by the "Australian Cowboy Dancers." (You need to see the movie to understand the significance.)

That would be Thunder From Down Under, who performed a rolicking (G-rated) dance for us. (They're wearing chaps, people!)

And hung around to mingle with those of us who were slack-jawed amazed by these beautiful specimens. I know. Shut up.

I have some really fun behind-the-scenes stuff to share with you in the next few days, so please stay tuned. In the meantime, here's the trailer for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, October 10th, 2014.