This movie really is family friendly cute fun. Jennifer garner and Steve carrell really make this movie great, well not just their performances make it great, but they are great contributions. The kid actors do well, especially Alexander. The script is pretty well written actually, funny, and clever as well. Jennifer garner really has some very funny lines. This movie has menu funny and amusing events that occur throughout the whole hour and fifteen minute long movie. Now the movie isn't always 100% on the comedy, but it comes pretty close. This movie also has a good many heart warming moments, which gives the actors a good chance to show off their acting abilities. There is a really good message that this film sends the audience's way. I give Alexander and the bad day..... A 7/10.

Well I only watched this movie because Steve Carell was in it and so I thought it might be funny. But then again it's a family movie and it's from Disney. So I had my doubts. And my doubts came true, it's not a funny movie. I didn't laugh once. Not once in the entire movie, and let's be honest, that's not a good sign when it is supposed to be a comedy. I guess if I was 8 years old I might have liked it then, but I'm not. If you have kids and want them to shut up for a couple hours I guess you can plant them in front of the television with this movie. They might like it. But don't bother watching it with them because it's not worth it. Enjoy your free kid time with something else you like to do.

It's nice to see a family comedy that does great at the box office! It's not so nice to see such a low rating here on IMDb. I think that this film successfully treads a fine line between portraying the vicissitudes of life and a bit of humor. Yes, you could look at things superficially and just see funny/disastrous things happening to a family. Or, you can look just a little deeper and see how everyday life can weigh our spirits down...if we let them...and sometimes it's hard not to.Ed Oxenbould, as the principal child in the cast (age 12) does nicely, although I can't see him becoming a very successful child star; he's struggling with entering puberty and feeling ignored by his family. Steve Carell handles the role of the father with aplomb; the father is out of work and trying to land a software job. Jennifer Garner, as the mother, also handles things well; she is having her own challenges on the work front. Dylan Minnette is appropriately cool as the older brother; he's having issues with his girlfriend. Kerris Dorsey is clearly talented as the older sister; she may or may not be the next Peter Pan in her school play. Each member of the family is struggling coping with everyday life.In terms of supporting cast, it's worth mentioning Megan Mullally playing her usual -itchy attitude as the mother's boss. It's also nice to see Dick VanDyke in a cameo role.The big mystery here to me is Donald Glover as the lead of a software company where the father is attempting to land a job. I have yet to figure out who Donald Glover is...as a person. And from what I read, he hasn't figured himself out either. There seems to me to be no pattern to his career; unfortunately, it seems as if his career is based on his "cuteness"...despite the fact that he is clearly extremely talented. It'll be interesting to see where he ultimately lands.The problem is this film is that -- despite what we may wish -- everyone can't always find a happy ending...particularly at virtually the same time. There's one good lesson for kids here -- to some extent what we make of a day (or life) is up to us. But there's a bad lesson here, too -- despite the film, life doesn't always have happy endings.It's entertaining, it's fun, and it can be thought provoking if you get beyond looking at it superficially.

Alexander wishes for his birthday for his family to have a bad day. For a family movie, the film is quite good. Of course there are lots going on in just one day, but fortunately it doesn't get boring. The family power above all revelation is not just the first cliché of the movie, but it works. It's not funny and I don't know if it was meant to come out as funny, neither is romantic, fortunately because pre teen romance does get a little creepy some times. The kid is a really good actor for his age and handles everything great, as the movie mainly focuses on him. And so four out of ten for this family movie, that works for a quite afternoon and the kids will like it.