{"id":13423,"date":"2025-04-07T16:54:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T23:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/?p=13423"},"modified":"2025-12-11T16:49:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:49:26","slug":"alexander-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/2025\/alexander-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip * An Exciting Roller Coaster Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-13424\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX-poster.jpg?resize=127%2C187&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"127\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX-poster.jpg?resize=203%2C300&amp;ssl=1 203w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX-poster.jpg?w=540&amp;ssl=1 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 127px) 100vw, 127px\" \/>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip<\/em>\u202ffollows 11-year-old Alexander and his family as they embark on a dream Spring Break vacation to Mexico City only to have all their plans go terribly wrong when they discover a cursed idol. The family is put to the test until they resolve to return the idol to its rightful home.<\/p>\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Kinsley H. comments, \u201c<em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip <\/em>is an exciting roller coaster ride of life\u2019s ups and downs. It has everything from exploding ice cream trucks to even an evil spirit. I love how the family in this story never gives up; even if things get terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad.\u201d Alma K. adds, \u201cThe book, <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day<\/em> was released in 1972 and in 2014, was adapted into a film, starring Jennifer Garner and Dylan Minette. Now, 11 years later, this sequel is being released and unfortunately, <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip<\/em> doesn\u2019t quite have the magic that made us love the original so much.\u201d See their full reviews below.<\/p>\n<p>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip<br \/>\nBy Kinsley H., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QgVDvAEvtRU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13428\" style=\"width: 262px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13428\" class=\" wp-image-13428\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-07037_CROP-601x400-bf06395.jpg?resize=252%2C168&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-07037_CROP-601x400-bf06395.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-07037_CROP-601x400-bf06395.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Cheech Marin as Gil and Rose Portillo as Lidia in Disney&#8217;s ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD ROAD TRIP. Photo by Anna Kooris. \u00a9 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip <\/em>is an exciting roller coaster ride of life\u2019s ups and downs. It has everything from exploding ice cream trucks to even an evil spirit. I love how the family in this story never gives up; even if things get terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad.<\/p>\n<p>This movie tells about the disastrous vacation of a Mexican American family that has lost touch with their roots. Alexander (Thom Nemer) is a very unlucky 11-year old who is terrified to learn that his heritage involves a cursed idol. He becomes determined to turn his bad luck around by returning the idol to its rightful home. Unfortunately, this means taking an eventful road trip to Mexico City with his family that will leave a lasting impression on not only Alexander\u2019s family, but everyone they encounter.<\/p>\n<p><em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip <\/em>is full of belly laughs. I especially love how the family struggles to hold onto a vehicle. They start their trip with a fancy, high end RV and conclude their trip stranded and hanging on by a thread. It is also clever how the movie adds tiny comedic moments to every scene.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13427\" style=\"width: 261px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13427\" class=\" wp-image-13427\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-04629_R-600x400-bf06395.jpg?resize=251%2C167&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-04629_R-600x400-bf06395.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-04629_R-600x400-bf06395.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Jesse Garcia as Frank Garcia and Eva Longoria as Val Garcia in Disney&#8217;s ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD ROAD TRIP. Photo by Anna Kooris. \u00a9 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One instance of this is when the family has to change clothes due to a very stinky chance meeting with a skunk. It is entertaining to try to read the T-shirts they are forced to change into. My favorite is the shirt that Grandma Lidia (Rose Portillo) has to wear which says, \u201cBritney Spears Changed My Life.\u201d Another memorable moment is the interaction with the shop clerk, Claudio (Harvey Guillen). His reaction to the cursed idol was priceless and cracked me up. He is so dramatic and colorful. Everything he does is amusing, from putting on gloves to touch the idol to purifying the negative energy with sage once the idol leaves. He really adds some flare to the show.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s message is that if bad luck is all you look for, then you\u2019ll definitely find it \u2013 a positive mindset is everything. It also shows the importance of appreciating your heritage. This show is family friendly, but be aware there are some dangerous stunts and some bad language.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip <\/em>4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It began streaming on Disney+ on Friday, March 28, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip<br \/>\nBy Alma K, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 15<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9mTVko4Kmak?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13429\" style=\"width: 261px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13429\" class=\" wp-image-13429\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-TP-088303-600x255-ff48800.jpg?resize=251%2C107&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-TP-088303-600x255-ff48800.jpg?resize=300%2C128&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-TP-088303-600x255-ff48800.jpg?w=599&amp;ssl=1 599w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13429\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Harvey Guillen as Claudio in Disney&#8217;s ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD ROAD TRIP. Photo courtesy of Disney. \u00a9 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The book, <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day<\/em> was released in 1972 and in 2014, it was adapted into a film, starring Jennifer Garner and Dylan Minette. Now, 11 years later, this sequel is being released and unfortunately, <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip<\/em> doesn\u2019t quite have the magic that made us love the original so much.<\/p>\n<p>Misfortune follows Alexander (Thom Nemer) wherever he goes \u2013 he was just born unlucky. When his mother Val (Eva Longoria), a magazine travel writer, gets a new assignment \u2014 driving a state-of-the-art RV to Mexico \u2014 and turns it into a family road trip, Alexander is absolutely convinced something will go wrong. The way he sees it, if he\u2019s going, how could something not? The night before the family is set to leave, Alexander finds an old idol in the attic that belonged to his great great grandfather. Alexander\u2019s grandfather Gil (Cheech Marin) tells the whole family the story of how the idol originally gave good luck but when it wasn\u2019t returned, that luck turned rotten. Alexander decides to take the idol along with them because perhaps it is what is causing the bad luck of the family instead of him and they could return the idol to Mexico.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13425\" style=\"width: 261px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13425\" class=\" wp-image-13425\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-00155_R3-600x400-bf06395.jpg?resize=251%2C167&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"251\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-00155_R3-600x400-bf06395.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ALX2-00155_R3-600x400-bf06395.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Jesse Garcia as Frank Garcia, Thom Nemer as Alexander Garcia, Eva Longoria as Val Garcia, Paulina Chavez as Mia Garcia and Rose Portillo as Lidia in Disney&#8217;s ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD ROAD TRIP. Photo by Anna Kooris. \u00a9 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I love seeing how <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day<\/em> evolved to a whole series. I grew up with the original book and I watched the 2014 movie when I was younger and I was very excited to see this sequel. I also really like that they made the family Latinx this time. It gives the story a fresh face and lets viewers learn about other cultures, in this case the Garcia family is also Mexican. A huge part of the movie is the family connecting to their roots and even the actors have commented on how the film affected them in that way. On the other hand, one of the problems with the film is that it doesn\u2019t directly remind you of the book it\u2019s based on. Fans of the book know that Alexander\u2019s whole deal is that he was born unlucky and that his misfortunes, more often than not, bleed over to his family. The film doesn\u2019t address this and assumes audiences either know it or leaves it for them to figure it out. One of the first depictions of \u201cbad luck\u201d in the film is when Alexander\u2019s sister Mia (Paulina Chavez) backs into a fire hydrant while scrolling on her phone with Alexander in the passenger seat. Both Mia and Alexander blame Alexander and his luck, although\u00a0 it seems unrealistic to blame this incident on Alexander\u2019s bad luck. A family road trip where just about everything goes wrong is not a new concept. Less than ten minutes in, I was reminded of the film, RV. <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip<\/em> is predictable and there\u2019s nothing unique about it. At the same time, it is a fun watch and, while the comedy falls flat here and there, it is a funny film.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s message is about luck. The movie naturally made me think about the nature of luck. There are people that believe in karma; people that believe in fate and destiny; people that believe luck is complete chance\u2026and so on.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip<\/em> 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12 plus families. It releases exclusively on Disney+ on March 28, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip\u202ffollows 11-year-old Alexander and his family as they embark on a dream Spring Break vacation to Mexico City only to have all their plans go terribly wrong when they discover a cursed idol. The family is put to the test until they resolve to return the idol to its rightful home.\u202f<\/p>\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Kinsley H. comments, \u201cAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is an exciting roller coaster ride of life\u2019s ups and downs. It has everything from exploding ice cream trucks to even an evil spirit. I love how the family in this story never gives up; even if things get terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad.\u201d Alma K. adds, \u201cThe book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was released in 1972 and in 2014, was adapted into a film, starring Jennifer Garner and Dylan Minette. Now, 11 years later, this sequel is being released and unfortunately, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip doesn\u2019t quite have the magic that made us love the original so much.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[8910,8920,869,8918,7223,8911,8914,8916,8912,8919,8917,8915,8913],"class_list":["post-13423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tv","tag-alexander-and-the-terrible","tag-britney-spears-changed-my-life","tag-disney-2","tag-grandma-lidia","tag-harvey-guillen","tag-horrible","tag-mexican-american","tag-mexico-city","tag-no-good","tag-rose-portillo","tag-rv","tag-thom-nemer","tag-very-bad-road-trip"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paS5I2-3uv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13423"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13433,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13423\/revisions\/13433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}