Buckle up for a family road trip comedy, containing as much arguing and hugging and learning as you could possibly hope for, and shot with a certain flair, but which provides very little in the way of actual entertainment. A sequel to the 2014 Very Bad Day film, this time Alexander (Thom Nemer) and his family are off on a road trip to Mexico paid for by his mother (Eva Longoria), or rather by her job as a travel journalist.
Per the film’s title, it doesn’t go all that well. Have they been cursed by an ancient idol? All will be exhaustingly revealed, over the course of a blessedly short runtime. It’s a frequent complaint that a film is boring because nothing happens, but here is an example where the problem is things are just constantly happening, creating a kind of antics-fatigue. Still, perhaps kids will like it?
Parents are naturally concerned if a film contains unsuitable violence or unduly terrifying sequencesbut we should be equally interested in whether a film features the kind of readily imitatable sarcasm and weak banter that impressionable children can easily mistake for being witty. So be warned: around 50% of the dialogue here is of the “so I guess that happened” type – wave after endless wave of it. Nobody really longs for a wholesale return to earnest children’s stories about Topsy and Tim returning a misplaced badge to a jolly policeman at the seaside. But this kind of snarky kids-who-are-wise-beyond-their-years schtick is equally tiresome; this is probably a road trip to avoid.
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is on Disney+ from 28 March.
