A Mexican-American family discovers their heritage while battling an ancient curse on a road trip fraught with goofy disasters. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip remakes the 2014 film and Judith Viorst’s classic children’s book with Latino flair. Themes of learning your roots and respecting cultural differences almost make up for the strained attempts at humor and a surprising lack of cast chemistry. There’s no shortage of wild shenanigans, but they barely elicit a chuckle. The sitcom elements may work for the younger target audience, while parents will struggle to sit through a 90-minute runtime that feels much longer.
The constantly fretting, 11-year-old Alexander Garcia (Thom Nemer), worries that his bad luck will doom his family’s upcoming trip from Denver to Mexico City. His mother, Val (Eva Longoria), a famous travel writer, has secured a luxurious coach RV so they can all ride in style and comfort. Mia (Paulina Chávez), Alex’s teenage sister, shares his concern and always wants him 10 steps away due to his propensity for chaos. She constantly checks her phone for a “promposal” from a cute boy at school. Meanwhile, Frank (Jesse Garcia), their father, hasn’t told anyone that his restaurant is going under.
Garcia Family Values
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip
2
/5
- Release Date
-
March 28, 2025
- Director
-
Marvin Lemus
- Writers
-
Matt Lopez
- The movie is relatable in many ways and should please kids who are fans of the franchise.
- Predictable throughout, right up to a saccharine climax that’s undeserved.
- Few genuine laughs, and some amateur acting.
The big day arrives with Alex inadvertently causing his usual calamities. Everyone, including Lidia (Rose Portillo), Val’s mother and the children’s “abuela,” climb into the RV with serious doubts about the trip. Frank’s dad, the hard-charging, Harley-Davidson-riding Gilbert (Cheech Marin), shows up just in time to house-sit and watch the dog while everyone’s gone. Lidia can’t stand Gilbert and the wimpy Alex isn’t a fan of his macho tendencies.
Val tells Alex to get their luggage in the attic. He finds an eerie Mexican idol in an old chest that belonged to his great, great, grandfather. Gilbert informs him that Alejandro was cursed by three brujas (witches) after failing to return a charm that was supposed to bring good luck. The rub being that Alejandro couldn’t get rid of it no matter how hard he tried. Frank doesn’t believe in such nonsense and tosses it unceremoniously in the trash. But Alex’s fears increase exponentially as he’s finally found the source of his bad luck.
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Artificial Bonds & Predictable Turns
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip tries early on to establish character exposition and the Garcias’ interpersonal dynamics. We see Alex and Mia arguing, Val grounding Mia for the first labored laugh, and Frank doing his best to hide the truth about his failing restaurant. These scenes are meant to endear the ensemble to the audience and frame their personalities for the upcoming adventure.
The problem is that their bonds seem artificial. The Garcias look like actors doing their lines and not a realistic family unit. There’s a palpable awkwardness that’s tough to pin down but evident on screen. Longoria is a good actress, but she and the young supporting players don’t have a connection. This is a big problem that the film never overcomes.
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The second act takes a predictable turn with something wacky happening every few pages of the script. Alex can’t help but wreck the palatial RV and force the family into a smelly old clunker. The idol, of course, pops up out of nowhere and increases Alex’s anxiety to a stratospheric level. A visit with Mia to a silly fortune-teller finally reveals what Alex has to do to break the idol’s curse. They pretend to be gung-ho to their parents about finishing the trip, which now has everyone packed in together and forced to actually communicate. This is the setting where the Garcias gain a better understanding of each other and family values. It’s admittedly cheesy, but one of the film’s better aspects. Everyone can relate to being stuck with relatives and realizing how much you love them.
Embracing Mexican Heritage
The film has a subtext of the Garcias embracing their Mexican pride. Val, Frank, and the children can’t really speak Spanish. It’s never explained why and isn’t believable, but you accept it and move on. They gain Español skills as Mexicans save the day when their situation gets worse. There are also sharp barbs with the Garcias being “undocumented” in Mexico in a reverse mockery of how the US treats illegal migrants. This is sort of clever, but probably won’t go down well with audiences who view this topic sensitively. Those with beef against Disney will not be amused, but come on. This is a kid’s film; there’s honestly no reason to get worked up or political about anything.
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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip runs out of gas in a climax that goes exactly as expected. It’s not awful but completely forgettable when the credits roll. The characters never grow on you, so the saccharine happy ending brings narrative closure with no sense of fulfillment. It’s like buying a burrito from Chipotle instead of a food truck. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is a production of Walt Disney Pictures, 21 Laps Entertainment, and The Jim Henson Company. It premieres March 28th exclusively on Disney+. You can watch it through the link below:
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
