Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Alexander's day begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by more calamities. Though he finds little sympathy from his family and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him, his mom, dad, brother, and sister all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
Despite a moderate budget of $28.0M, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day became a box office success, earning $100.7M worldwide—a 259% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014) exemplifies deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Miguel Arteta's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 21 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Alexander Cooper
Ben Cooper
Kelly Cooper
Anthony Cooper
Emily Cooper
Trevor Cooper
Main Cast & Characters
Alexander Cooper
Played by Ed Oxenbould
11-year-old middle child experiencing the worst day of his life, feeling invisible and overlooked in his successful family.
Ben Cooper
Played by Steve Carell
Alexander's father, a struggling game designer who stays home while his wife works, trying to prove himself professionally.
Kelly Cooper
Played by Jennifer Garner
Alexander's mother, a busy marketing executive about to launch a major children's book, balancing career ambitions with family.
Anthony Cooper
Played by Dylan Minnette
Alexander's popular older brother, a high school student focused on prom and his girlfriend, representing teenage confidence.
Emily Cooper
Played by Kerris Dorsey
Alexander's over-achieving older sister, a theater star preparing for Peter Pan while juggling her driven personality.
Trevor Cooper
Played by Elise Vargas & Zoey Vargas
Alexander's adorable toddler brother who becomes a viral sensation and adds to Alexander's feelings of being overshadowed.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair on the night before his 12th birthday, establishing him as the family member who always has bad luck while everyone else succeeds.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 9 minutes when Alexander has a disastrous day at school: his crush likes another boy, he's humiliated with a permanent marker penis on his face, and he's un-invited from the cool kid's party while his rival Philip gloats.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 20 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Alexander wakes on his birthday to discover his wish has come true: the entire family begins experiencing catastrophic bad luck simultaneously. His wish has launched them all into chaos., moving from reaction to action.
At 41 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Kelly's critical book launch party turns into a complete disaster with the wrong Dick Van Dyke appearing and everything falling apart. The stakes raise as the family's collective future is threatened., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 60 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The family completely falls apart. Kelly loses her job, Ben's opportunity is destroyed, Emily's play is ruined, Anthony's relationship crumbles, and they all blame each other. The family unity "dies."., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 65 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Alexander realizes that bad days don't matter—what matters is facing them together as a family. He rallies everyone to save what they can and support each other, synthesizing the lesson that unity trumps perfection., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day against these established plot points, we can identify how Miguel Arteta utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day within the family genre.
Miguel Arteta's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Miguel Arteta films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Miguel Arteta filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional family films include The Bad Guys, Like A Rolling Stone and Cats Don't Dance. For more Miguel Arteta analyses, see Cedar Rapids, The Good Girl and Youth in Revolt.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair on the night before his 12th birthday, establishing him as the family member who always has bad luck while everyone else succeeds.
Theme
Alexander's mother Kelly tells him "Everyone has bad days," but Alexander feels alone in his suffering, introducing the theme that shared struggles bring families together.
Worldbuilding
We see the Cooper family dynamics: dad Ben is a struggling job seeker, mom Kelly is a busy publishing executive, brother Anthony has prom, sister Emily stars in the school play, and baby Trevor is perfect. Everyone is too busy to notice Alexander's misery.
Disruption
Alexander has a disastrous day at school: his crush likes another boy, he's humiliated with a permanent marker penis on his face, and he's un-invited from the cool kid's party while his rival Philip gloats.
Resistance
Alexander feels completely alone in his bad luck and makes a birthday wish that his family would understand what it's like to have a terrible day. He debates whether anyone truly cares about his struggles.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Alexander wakes on his birthday to discover his wish has come true: the entire family begins experiencing catastrophic bad luck simultaneously. His wish has launched them all into chaos.
Mirror World
Alexander realizes he now shares a bond with his family through their collective suffering. For the first time, they're all in the same boat, creating connection through chaos.
Premise
The "fun and games" of watching the entire family suffer through escalating disasters: Kelly's book launch goes horribly wrong with a printing error, Ben's job interview becomes a catastrophe, Emily's play turns into a disaster, Anthony's prom is ruined.
Midpoint
Kelly's critical book launch party turns into a complete disaster with the wrong Dick Van Dyke appearing and everything falling apart. The stakes raise as the family's collective future is threatened.
Opposition
Everything continues to deteriorate: relationships strain, opportunities evaporate, and the family begins to fracture under pressure. Alexander feels guilty but doesn't know how to fix what he's caused.
Collapse
The family completely falls apart. Kelly loses her job, Ben's opportunity is destroyed, Emily's play is ruined, Anthony's relationship crumbles, and they all blame each other. The family unity "dies."
Crisis
Alexander sits in darkness realizing his wish for shared misery has destroyed his family rather than bringing them together. The family separately processes their worst day ever.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Alexander realizes that bad days don't matter—what matters is facing them together as a family. He rallies everyone to save what they can and support each other, synthesizing the lesson that unity trumps perfection.
Synthesis
The family works together to salvage the day: they throw Alexander a party, support each other through failures, and choose connection over individual success. They turn the terrible day into a shared victory.
Transformation
Alexander celebrates his birthday surrounded by family who now understand him. The closing image shows them together, laughing about their shared terrible day, transformed from isolated individuals into a unified family.