A road trip comedy that puts a spin on a beloved classic, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Road Trip is a fun, entertaining romp the whole family can enjoy.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip Review
It's been more than a decade since Disney first adapted Judith Viorst's classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day that starred Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner as the parents to the woe-ridden title character. Once again working with Shawn Levy's 21 Laps Entertainment, Disney+ is home to a new iteration of a very bad day. Directed by Marvin Lemus and written by Matt Lopez, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip pays homage to both the beloved book and the 2014 film, while delivering its own spin on things. This movie feels right at home with the live-action Disney films we used to get in the 90s and early 00s. It's not overly long or complicated with plenty of slapstick comedy to go around. Not only that, there is a sweet message worked in that is neither heavy handed or cheesy.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Road Trip is a fun, entertaining romp the whole family can enjoy. It's a road trip comedy that stays comfortably in its lane. Very Bad Road Trip doesn't try to do anything outside of the box of the genre and that's great because there is a reason why these movies work. So when a family that is dealing with life changes, promposal week, and a curse are forced to pile into a RV for some “together time” chaos will naturally ensue.
The Garcia family is going through a lot right now. Dad Frank (Jesse Garcia) has just lost his restaurant and is hesitant to tell his wife, Val (Eva Longoria), a travel journalist whose latest task is to write about a family road trip using a tricked out RV. No one really wants to go on this trip to Mexico though. Especially not their daughter Mia (Paulina Garcia) who is waiting to be asked to prom by her crush and their youngest child Alexander (Thom Nemer), who believes he's cursed which would make travel a very bad idea. While his parents laugh off the idea of a curse, his grandfather Gilbert (Cheech Marin) tells him a story about how one of their ancestors (the one Alexander is named after by the way) stole an idol from witches with dire consequences for himself and his town of Soledad. Still his parents insist they take this road trip and Alexander is about to have some horrible, no good, very bad days.
What makes a movie like this so fun are the increasingly insane situations the characters find themselves in. Lemus isn't afraid to employ various tricks of the 90s trade to keep even the youngest viewer hooked. Whether it is swapping camera angles and aspect ratios or going black-and-white to add to the thrilling story of the curse's origin, he keeps the film visually interesting for all parties. Some of these gags go on for a little too long – particularly one with a skunk which you can imagine what happens – but that is clearly an adult complaint because the children I watched it with laughed the whole time. I found the setpieces that revolved around the idol and its powers to be the most amusing because they continually upped the ante on what poor Alexander called “horrible.”
Despite the short runtime and the zaniness of it all, Lemus does know when to slow things down to allow the characters' time to grow and connect with one another in a way that feels genuine. As Alexander and his family live through the craziest events imaginable, they become closer in a way that only works when you share life experiences like these. This is where the sweet and heartfelt messaging comes across. This is a family being tested, not by a curse but by this thing we call living. That isn't going to stop but how we deal with it and the people we have around us make a difference. Of course that means they must learn to work together but knowing that's the moral of the story doesn't make it less charming.
But any good ensemble film needs exactly that, a good ensemble. Longoria and Garcia are great as the parents of Alexander and Mia. Marin is a delight as the motorcycle riding grandfather who has a story for every situation. He was a replacement for George Lopez. No offense to Lopez, but as a longtime Disney kid, having Marin in a Disney movie just feels right. In terms of the side characters, Harvey Guillén and Cristo Fernández are highlights. But this is Nemer's movie and he is perfect in the role. He has the comedic timing and exasperated body movements to sell the wrongness of his life but he also knows how to show his character's sadness. The worry he experiences daily because he feels like a plague on his family. It endears him to the audience and makes us root for the end of the wacky “curses” that he faces daily.
Verdict
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is a wacky, fun, and entertaining romp for the whole family to enjoy. Very Bad Road Trip feels like one of those 90s/early 00s films that millennials remember so well. Why? One, it has enough wild and hilarious moments to keep everyone laughing from start to finish. And two, it delivers a lovely message about togetherness and continuing to pursue goals despite the inevitable obstacles that come our way.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is now streaming on Disney+. It is rated PG for some thematic elements and brief language with a runtime of 80 minutes.
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