Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: October 10, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
15
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyOct 10, 2014
Humorous and poignant. There are a couple of scenes that fall flat, losing the manic push of the rest of the story, but the mood is so screwball that the film hurtles past its own mistakes. It's good fun. Read full review
75
Washington PostSandie Angulo ChenOct 9, 2014
Arteta keeps the pace fast and frenetic and doesn’t mind spotlighting potty jokes... but even the bathroom humor is forgivable when the end result is a crowd-pleasing comedy and a surprisingly entertaining treat for the whole family. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeOct 8, 2014
Alexander is a watchable, affable, pretty good, well-done kids’ movie buoyed by a humorous script and talented cast. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLindsey BahrOct 8, 2014
Alexander is pleasantly devoid of the vulgarity and too-current pop culture references that are the default mode for many contemporary live-action kids' pics, and its earnest celebration of family gives the movie a comforting throwback vibe. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 10, 2014
It’s funny, fast, and charming. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenOct 8, 2014
As the parents of four, Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner are a good match, her energetic intensity mixing nicely with his laid-back demeanor, and both underplaying their inherent adorableness. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Geoff PevereOct 9, 2014
Alexander narrates with a rueful, put-upon worldly wisdom that instantly enlists our sympathy, and the young actor Ed Oxenbould may be the most appealing junior loser we’ve seen since Peter Billingsley wished for an air rifle in "A Christmas Story." Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesBruce IngramOct 9, 2014
Disney’s bland comedy Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day might have been a little more entertaining if it had been a little more, terrible, horrible, no good and so forth. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigOct 9, 2014
The overall message is pleasantly sweet: Bad days happen. Not only are they inevitable, but they serve to make the good times worth savoring. There's nothing dreadful about that. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoOct 9, 2014
What the filmmakers come up with is a modestly likable mix of zany and gently warmhearted, even if they overdo both elements at times. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreOct 8, 2014
It’s just competent, light entertainment. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottOct 10, 2014
Amusing as it often is, it's all also fairly predictable stuff. If there's one thing Arteta's script is missing, it's imagination. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 8, 2014
The film does not have the courage of the book, which felt no need to tie a nice pretty bow on everything. But it's fun enough for a good while (it's only 81 minutes long), and that's enough. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichOct 7, 2014
The movie’s admirable fleetness, however, doesn’t mitigate some of its narrative errors — Alexander’s opening voiceover suggests his family is totally oblivious to his role in their misery, which is disproved by a later scene — nor does it counteract an overall sense of slightness that prevents this from being a family-film classic. Read full review
60
The GuardianJordan HoffmanOct 2, 2014
For family entertainment, you could do a lot worse. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyOct 2, 2014
The homily-laden wrap-up, stressing the upside of bad days, is enough to make you hold your nose, but it only lasts a moment, which is suggestive of the way Arteta and the cast provide the energy and momentum to get the job done but not overstay their welcome. Read full review
60
VarietyJustin ChangOct 2, 2014
A passable, tolerable, not unbearable, totally inoffensive adaptation of Judith Viorst’s beloved 1972 children’s book. Read full review
58
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeOct 9, 2014
For a comedy set around one epic catastrophe of a rotten day, this wisp of a farce feels strangely chaos-deficient. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallOct 10, 2014
The first half is nothing but silly setups for a stretch run that admittedly has its moments of wacky pandemonium, just not enough. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandOct 10, 2014
A sweet, if predictable, kids' comedy. But you have to overlook the conveniently inconsistent behavior of all the characters - except in Garner's case. She never establishes a character. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyOct 9, 2014
At the moment, modestly amusing does not stave off that desire for a really great live-action family film after years of watching the terrain land-grabbed by animation. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. ScottOct 9, 2014
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is the latest example of a wonderful children’s book turned into a mediocre movie. Read full review
50
The DissolveKeith PhippsOct 8, 2014
It’s a painfully minor movie that doubles as an accidental study in how pros handle themselves when given less-than-challenging material. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEric HendersonOct 7, 2014
The expansion has the unintended and unfortunate effect of doing exactly the same thing to Alexander he accused his family of doing in the first place: marginalizing him. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierOct 9, 2014
Just another loud, boy-centric comedy aimed at ’tweens. The movie turns a slight children’s book — in this case, Judith Viorst’s 1972 fave, from which it takes mainly the title — into a charmless mishmash. Read full review
40
Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyOct 7, 2014
While it has its moments, Miguel Arteta's comedy relies too much on gender-shaming and emasculation jokes. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle SmithOct 8, 2014
Can a series of irritating events make a movie? Yes, but an irritating one: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Read full review
0
San Francisco ChronicleMichael OrdonaOct 9, 2014
But who cares what grumpy old grown-ups think? This reviewer watched with two movie-loving kids, and they did each laugh. Twice. Read full review
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