Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

A preteen who's been having a lousy day (Ed Oxenbould) makes a birthday wish that the rest of his family (parents Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, brother Dylan Minette and sister Kerris Dorsey) could find out what a really, really bad day is like—and the next day they do. The simple charm of Judith Viorst's classic children's book is swamped in the flailing contrivances of Ron Lieber's script—a school play, a driving test, a junior prom, a job interview, a major media event and a birthday party all on the same day? The book was about life's little annoyances, not over-the-top cataclysms. The movie has its amusing moments, thanks to the professionalism of Carell and Garner and an appealing gaggle of kids, but it's as strained as the group-hug happy ending. Miguel Arteta directs without distinction.