Poor Alexander and his horrible day
Alexander is a charming boy that wakes up one morning in a bad way that just gets worse as the day goes on. The movie is told from his point of view and at times he and his brother both fantasize about being the only child.

Alexander has red hair that looks like it needs a good brushing, he wears clothes that are tattered, his laces are never tied on his shoes and he has rotten luck. At school he has to stand in front of the class to sign a song, but the students laugh at him and the teacher allows this to continue. She even makes a face and shows her disappointment when he gets the words wrong repeatedly on a song. The teacher suggests to Alexander that when the whole class sings the song that he be really soft in his singing.

He has three friends that he pals around with, but when they all examine at lunchtime their desserts and try to trade, Alexander comes up empty and is quite embarrassed that his mother forgot his dessert. At the end of the day at the lockers in the hall Alexander cannot find his purple yo-yo and informs his friends he cannot go out and play because he has to see the Dentist. They make faces about going to see the dreaded Dentist.

The day gets worse for Alexander as he sits in the chair at the dental office holding a tube of toothpaste. When the Dentist enters Alexander then squeezes the tube having the paste go all over. While the Dentist tries to look inside his mouth Alexander is playing with all buttons to the chair. This Dentist also happens to be bald but being in such close proximity to Alexander gives the kid a view of the hairs inside his nose. Alexander questions him and the Dentist tries to answer sweetly.

like watching this movie to show my kids that they are not the only ones that have difficult times, but I just think the one scene for the class could have been handled better. We have borrowed the book several times from the library, but the movie is a real gem to keep. The music and songs the kids sing are fitting for the bad day Alexander has had.

I can quiz my son afterwards and ask him what happened at the shoe store or the Dentist and he can recite the events and offer his opinion of what happened and why Alexander feels the way he does. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is from 1998 and shown in under thirty minutes. This is suitable for class discussion in the elementary years for interpretation from children on how to improve a situation and turn a bad day into a good day.

It just feels good to watch Alexander and know you are not the only kid that has had days like this and get past it with a few jokes and songs.

Make sure you read the book first!
If you loved this classic book as a kid, like I did, you're in for a treat when you see the movie. I was reluctant to see it at first because I thought there was no way to improve on Judith Viorst's story. Wrong! The movie stays true to the book, and the songs are catchy and fun.

terrific, upbeat, one even a mom can listen /watch again
this is just a very cute, "catchy tuned", video about a boy, the youngest of three brothers having a very bad day. The music reminds me of broadway. Cute, cute, cute. We borrowed it from the library over and over and finally bought it here. And I am not one for too much tv.