‘Alexander …’ a laugh-out-loud comedy

Now open, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” based on the beloved children’s book by Judith Viorst and starring Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, and Ed Oxenbould as Alexander is a wonderful family movie that can be enjoyed with your school-aged kids without worrying about violence, profanity, or other unsavory behavior, says Kids First! critic Gerry O.

What a hilarious adventure! Something I like about this film is that although it’s a comedy, at the same time, the directors have created a story so it doesn’t feel as if it’s just one big joke. In my estimation, it is just perfect.

This film has a bubble of unique comedy that sends the audience laughing out loud. And, it has a sprinkle of romance packaged with it, which makes it a unique story.

The film starts out showing an 11- (soon to be 12) year-old kid who always has bad days, while everyone else in his entire family always has perfect days. On the very early morning of his twelfth birthday he wishes that his family members would have a bad day. Well, they do! And, phew, is it bad!

This film has comedy that isn’t just little jokes or things that are commonly seen in lots of normal comedies, but, instead, unique and creative comedy that is really funny. The actors are all well-suited to their roles, and something I love about this film is that the ending is not easily predictable. Also, the story is created in such a way that the comedy is just a part of the story. The creators managed to get a very important message through to the audience.

My favorite scene is when the sister is under-the-weather with a common cold, but has a play that day. She decides to drink a whole bunch of cough medicine and gets drunk during the play. This part is absolutely hilarious. The entire audience, including me, could not stop laughing during this scene.

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” is a young kid film, but not too young. I would recommend for ages 9 to 18 and I give it 5 out of 5 stars for a great story, fantastic acting, and unbelievable comedy!

— Gerry O, age 12

See his video review at http://youtu.be/r-lp-R_YhnM