Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

We all have our bad days, which is the point of "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day," the beloved children's book by Judith Viorst, made into a film of the same name starring Steve Carrell and Jennifer Garner as Alexander's parents, and now released on Blu-ray and Digital HD.

The film expands upon the book's scope. Alexander's book brother, Nick, is now replaced in the film by a self-centered, narcissistic teenage sister, Emily, (Kerris Dorsey). Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) is no longer the youngest of the family, that role having been usurped by Baby Trevor (Elise and Zoey Vargas). And Alexander is now not the only one having an awful time of it.

The movie begins similarly to the book, with poor Alexander jumping out of bed, tripping on his skateboard and falling flat on his face. He heads to the bathroom, only to discover he has gum in his hair. The day only gets worse, which Alexander finds typical of his life -- a fact his family seems to ignore, wrapped up as they are in their individual dramas. But soon enough, everyone else in his family experiences their own disasters, bringing home the main point that bad days, even terrible, horrible ones, frequent us all.

The saccharine, fluffy film contains the usual slapstick and mayhem associated with a PG-rated Disney movie and the screwball comedy works. But it lacks the wry humor of Viorst's book, which made it such a hit with kids and grown-ups alike.

The Blu-ray version has the additional appeal of extra content such as interviews with Ms. Viorst and her son, the "real" Alexander, who as a teenager and beyond, was not above cashing in on his family's fame as a lure for girls. Now, even his kids think Grandma is cool.

"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY"
$36.99
www.disney.com