A lot of times in life things seem to move so fast that we can barely catch our breath and find the energy to keep up. I can imagine this being true for all parents, especially those of small children, and most especially those who live in New York.
The incessant vibrancy and energy that the city gives off is impossible to ignore and instead it is our natural tendency to embody it in our own lives. The key to remaining calm however, amongst the rush of things, some of which being good and others bad, is to take a deep breath, remember that everyone has bad days, spend some time with your loved ones, and realize that life really is not so bad after all.
The new Disney movie, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Not So Good, Very Bad Day, featuring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, embodies these beliefs. The movie is centered around the bad day that the child, Alexander, is having. One thing after the next seems to happen to him and everything is going the opposite way than what he would have liked. However, after Alexander begins to realize that other members of his family are experiencing bad things as well, it makes it easier for him to accept them and move on from them, because they get through this day together. In the private screening and Q&A I went to, Garner, who plays the mother in the film, explained that what is portrayed in the movie is not far from the truth about families in real life.
Garner said, “Everyone is going to have a really bad day every now and then. But even when things get really crazy, we know that we have to get through them together. Bad days don’t make us any less of a family. If anything, they make us an even stronger one.”
This movie, although a family comedy, embodies many themes similar to that which Garner spoke about, that are relevant to all families and can be relateable to even the youngest members of the family. Everyone, without exceptions, has bad days. But as we learn from the film, the way we choose to deal with them, and who to deal with them with, is what will really make the difference in turning a bad day, into a great one.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Not So Good, Very Bad Day is in theaters now and is rated PG.
