Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Blu-ray Movie Review

"Shouldn't you guys be up?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 11, 2015

How's this for novel? A family film that features a happily married couple, a stay-at-home dad and a successful working mother, convincing sibling squabbles, very little in the way of irritating teen angst, no villain (other than circumstance), and no deep-seated loathing, animosity or cynicism between family members. Oh, did I mention it's genuinely funny too? While Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day won't strike parents as being quite as hilarious as it does their children, and while much of its exaggerated comedy of errors is so over-the-top that the film teeters on the edge of silly, there's a real sense of love, loyalty and familial togetherness here that goes beyond the usual kid-friendly fare and taps into something more elemental. More honest. And certainly more sincere.

The film follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life; a day that begins with finding gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he elicits little sympathy and starts to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he's not alone, though, when his mother, Kelly (Jennifer Garner), father, Ben (Steve Carell), brother, Anthony (Dylan Minnette) and sister, Emily (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there's no such thing as a bad day just hasn't had one.

Young Ed Oxenbould anchors Alexander nicely, even though the brunt of the comedy is shouldered by Carell, Garner, Minnette and Dorsey. Increasingly ludicrous but admittedly infectious hilarity ensues, from a duel between Alexander's baby brother and a green marker, job-hunting Ben's mishaps at a hibachi restaurant while trying to woo a trio of potential employers, Kelly's race to stop celebrity Dick Van Dyke from reading a misprinted children's book to a group of kids in front of the press, Anthony's misadventures in driving tests and prom prep, and Emily's cough medicine-addled performance as Peter Pan in a school play. Don't stop to wrap your head around the unlikely series of unfortunate events. Wait, all of these events are supposed to take place over the course of a single day? Don't nitpick, search out plot holes, or put two and two together. You'll only spoil your kids' fun. Yours too. Alexander isn't all that interested in the how's and why's, nor does it feel the need to drag things to a halt to justify itself or make any of its nightmare scenarios more plausible. It's light, harmless entertainment, and the only thing it tries to convince you to believe in is the Coopers and their unbreakable bond.

Much as my critical cortex insisted on dissecting what's essentially a surprisingly coherent, smartly expanded adaptation of a beloved but simplistic 32-page children's book, I couldn't get past how refreshing Carell and Garner's Ben and Kelly were. There are hints of mom's jealousy of dad for being able to stay at home with baby Trevor, and further hints that dad isn't as content with homemaking as he lets on. They fight, yell here and there, scold their teens, and get frazzled when everything goes wrong. But none of it is malicious or damaging, or ever amounts to a conflict of any significance. There's no marital crisis looming, no threat of divorce, and nothing that comes close to separating Alexander's parents. The affection shared between the two is more than convincing; it's lovely. They're not dim-witted or inadequate. Neglectful or co-dependent. Detached or hopelessly oblivious. They're intelligent, caring, forgiving and kind, and frustration with their day and their children is just that: frustration. Nothing uglier or more resentful. More family films could benefit from displays of such parental devotion and reliability. Not to preach, but it's sad so many screen families are mired in heated divorces, in-fighting, mean-spirited banter, and other nonsense the vast majority of us -- flawed and imperfect as we are, moms and dads; nuclear families, larger households, and single parent situations alike -- work so hard to keep out of our homes.

The message of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Parents, prioritize your children. Know your kids. Hug your kids. Be there for 'em when they're having the worst days of their lives, even if their problems seem small in light of your own. It's not all about you. And kids, it's tough being young. But that doesn't mean you can't give your family a break now and then, even when they don't seem to understand you. Learn to pitch in. Look for places to help out. It's not all about you. Not a bad way to spend a movie night with the family, is it? 80-minutes of laughing together, clapping together and smiling together. Rolling your eyes? Then you, sir, are a cynic. Be sure to avoid this one and enjoy your loveless marriage and your bratty kids. The rest of us will keep on fighting to make our families tackle a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day with as much post-argument grace, patience and forgiveness as the Coopers.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day features a warm, sunny 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that's free of any major issues. A small handful of shots have been artificially sharpened to the point of exhibiting noticeable edge halos (this scene offering the worst of it), but each limited, blink-and-you'll-miss-it instance of ringing is most definitely the exception rather than the rule. The other 99% of the film is about as flawless as they come, with carefully saturated skintones, vivid primaries and deep, satisfying black levels. Detail is excellent from start to finish too, with crisp edge definition, refined textures, striking close-ups and revealing delineation. There also isn't any significant artifacting, banding, crush, noise or aliasing to report, and the presentation doesn't suffer from any substantial distractions. In short, Alexander's encode seems to be having a very good day.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's nothing at all wrong with Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Voices are clear, intelligible and smartly prioritized, LFE output is strong and assertive, rear speaker activity is precise and playful, and the film's soundfield is engaging and reasonably immersive. There just aren't very many "wow" moments -- a car accident here, a lively hibachi restaurant there, a wild birthday party before the credits roll -- or anything that will put your home theater to the test. Dynamics are quite good but not exactly remarkable, and the surround experience is fun and involving but hardly revelatory. Chalk it up to the film's by-the-numbers sound design or its peppy, punchy, kid-friendly soundscape. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alexander in Real Life (HD, 5 minutes): "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" author Judith Viorst and her now-adult son, Alex Viorst -- dubbed "The Real Alexander" -- reminisce about the original children's book and touch on its feature film adaptation.
• Snappy Crocs and Punchy Roos (HD, 7 minutes): Director Miguel Arteta and the cast discuss shooting the film's Outback-themed backyard birthday party in all its glory. Unfortunately, this is another much too short featurette in a rather disappointing supplemental package.
• Walkabout: A Video Diary (HD, 6 minutes): Young Ed Oxenbould grabs a camera and captures snippets of his time on set. The filmmakers and his co-stars offer their thoughts in brief interview segments as well, complementing the young actor's enthusiasm and commitment.
• Bloopers (HD, 4 minutes): Cast and crew laugh it up.
• Music Video (HD, 4 minutes): "Hurricane" by The Vamps.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As a family comedy, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day hits its notes a little too hard, playing like an 80-minute version of the film's theatrical trailer. But beneath all the over-the-top gags, crossed wires and zany situations is a devoted family working to love each other better than they already do, even when an important day completely comes apart at the seams. It's flawed, sure, but it's funny, heartfelt and, above all, refreshing, not to mention a good bit better than most of the live-action family films that litter the release schedule. Disney's Blu-ray release is even stronger thanks to an excellent video presentation and solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. It's light on the supplements, but kids won't care. This one is sure to be a hit on your family's next movie night.