Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a mouthful for a title. Truth is, I had to refer to IMDB a couple of times to make sure that I got the title right because it was just so long. But my only complaint about the movie ends there. I absolutely loved every minute of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day — every cheesy over the top second of it. This movie is indeed proof that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould) is the middle child in a family of six. Things haven’t exactly been the same since since his baby brother Trevor was born. He feels different from the rest of his family, because things always work out for them — his aerospace engineer dad (Steve Carell), his powerhouse career woman mom (Jennifer Garner), his popular big brother Anthony (Dylan Minette), his actress sister Emily (Kerris Dorsey), even little Trevor (Elise and Zoey Vargas). He feels like they lead a charmed life, as opposed to his cursed one, so on his 12th birthday, he makes a secret wish that they would get to understand what a terrible, horrible, no good, very dad day (a.k.a. his everyday life) felt like and a series of unfortunate events ensue.

If there ever was a movie that would absolutely guarantee that your bad day would turn around, it would be this one. Typical of a Disney family movie, it starts out with a simple yet fantastic premise, but one with an underlying depth that connects deeply with the audience. Such is the magic of Disney and this film delivers the good vibes in spades. Screenwriter Rob Lieber did a great job in adopting the Judith Viorst children’s book to the big screen, updating the material to a suit modern audience. There was great dialogue and flow to the film as it transitions from the misfortunes of one family member to another. Credit also to director Miguel Arteta for nailing the execution.

The cast was absolute perfection. Steve Carell was funny and dorky without being too slapstick, Jen was adorable, and even the kids worked out and portrayed the reality of siblings in a typical household. The timing was spot on and the cast had great chemistry as a unit and even as standalones. What I loved about the characters, was mainly their loyalty to each other — that despite constant insults and ribbings, at the core of all things, they loved their family more than anything and when push comes to a shove, they had each other’s backs.

All in all, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was a total exaggeration of a simple premise — a bad day, which everyone has once in a while. While the execution was outrageous (in a good way), it was totally relatable and hilarious and leaves audiences with an exhilarating feeling of embarking on a great adventure with the Coopers. Despite all of the negatives in the title, the film inspired a lot of positive feelings, and a message that despite the bad things that happen, there can always be something good to come out it. And sometimes, it takes a bad day to make us appreciate the good ones even more.