MovieChat Forums > Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014) Discussion > Get a grip, people.... This wasn't a ba...

Get a grip, people.... This wasn't a bad movie.

posted 9 years ago by ispamforfood
13 replies | jump to latest

This movie wasn't even made for my demographic, and I thought it was a fun movie. Very little of it was cringe-worthy (except for maybe the baby peeing on the floor. Gross. LOL)... In all honesty, this movie was better in most ways than the other family comedy of the year, Blended. That one was WAY over the top in gross humor. Pee and poop everywhere... *shudders*... LOL...

Take the movie in the spirit it was meant to be, a fun little family rollercoaster ride, dare I say a modern day "National Lampoon's Vacation?"
Almost. Yes, I'm dead serious. It certainly drew inspiration from movies like that.

I am an extremely picky moviegoer, and this movie I will easily give 8/10.

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Right now, we are alive... And in this moment, I swear... We are infinite.

[–] oKuuma 9 years ago

Agree. As you mention National Lampoon's Vacation, I guess you´re not from this younger generation, just as me. This movie reminded me of the feel of 80s comedies and I liked it. Someone on RT wrote: "Sweet and good-hearted, this feels like a throwback to family comedies of the '80s." This pretty much sums it up for me.

Movies are reflections of time, places and people.
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[–] Taco_Lips 9 years ago

Yeah I agree. It gave our family a chuckle on a rainy day - It's entertainment for an hour and a half when there was nothing much else to do or watch - so it was fun and entertaining and something both kids and adults got something out of - with a few sweet little messages in there, which was nice without over-thinking it.

No one's trying to claim it's some epic sweeping motion picture deserving of awards - but it's definitely not so bad as a lot of crap out there or even half as bad as IMDB.com users like to make out it is.

It's a perfectly nice family movie to watch and chuckle at with a sweet message and ending. I have no problem with that at all.

[–] JohnnyCastle 9 years ago

Vacation was rated R. No way this is a modern-day Vacation, that is an absurd statement.

[–] rebekahrox 9 years ago

I thought parts of it were hilarious. The most laughs I have gotten from a movie for a long time.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] dollfacecrafter 9 years ago

I loved it, it was very funny and cute and good hearted

[–] Timburrr 9 years ago

It was a fairly enjoyable film to watch.

[–] lost_dream 9 years ago

agreed good funny movie .

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] fang123horn 9 years ago

I agree with the OP and mellomoviereview, I avoided this movie till last night when my curiosity got the best of me. Overall this was a nice, breezy family film, almost reminiscent to the live action Disney films of the 60s and 70s. An easy 8 and that scene where Dick Van Dyke read to the children was the highlight of the movie for me, now I want that book, lol!

[–] MotherMayI 9 years ago

I would have kept the first 20 minutes EXACTLY like the original book. Those iconic lines "I hope you sit on a tack, I said to Paul. I hope the next time you get a double decker strawberry Ice Cream Cone the ice cream part falls off the cone part and lands in Australia."

Then when he goes to sleep (like the end of the book), the next day his family is having the worst day of their lives, but he is having a great day. Why not just make it closer to the source material? Part of the charm of the books is how YOUNG Alexander is and how his older brothers react to his immaturity. That was lacking in this film.

I totally agree with you. When I first saw that they had made a movie from this book I was excited because this is one of my favorite books for kids. But when I saw the previews I was disappointed because it didn't seem to reflect the book. Having just watched it - I liked it a lot, but thought that it was more like a sequel than the actual story. So like you said the first part of the movie should have been similar to the book - with the whole dentist visit and shoe store visit, etc.

"They told you you were stupid, ugly and doomed to fail............and you believed them." 

[–] kreemer 8 years ago

Agreed! And well said.

[–] Pervy_Grin 8 years ago

It reminded me of another family movie with Steve Carell, "Little Miss Sunshine", in that a family goes through all kinds of trouble but sticks together as a family and perseveres with a positive attitude. Sweet and fun. My 14 year old daughter liked it.