Coming this fall, families can all enjoy the foibles of Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” The movie follows 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life—and soon learns that he’s not alone when 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. I suspect every family will see parts of their own lives reflected in this film.
The movie itself is based on “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” a book published in 1972. It was written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz and inspired by Viorst’s sons Alexander, Anthony and Nicholas. With more than 2 million copies in print, it became an ALA Notable Children’s Book and won a George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit, a Georgia Children’s Book Award, and distinction as a Reading Rainbow book.
As the trailer says, anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn’t had one. “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” directed by Independent Spirit Award-winner Miguel Arteta from a screenplay by Rob Lieber, is a 21 Laps Entertainment/Jim Henson Company production. The film hits theaters nationwide Oct. 10, 2014
Do you remember this book from your childhood or remember reading it to your own kids? I do. I think it could make a great film, maybe even a series, since Viorst wrote a few.