A Family Film Needs A Real Family. [Interview with Miguel Arteta]

We all have our bad days and we all have our good ones, but the similarity that both of days have will always be the people who have our backs in each one. The casting of who would play Alexander and the family of “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” was a huge and delicate process that director Miguel Arteta emphasized throughout our one-on-one interview.

According to Arteta, the movie is about “Reappreciating your family, to realize what a good thing you had in your life.” He continued, “I was hoping to set up the best chemistry throughout our cast” as they needed to contribute to the experience of a real family. “It was important to cast people who would hopefully learn to love each other in an authentic way… So, I did my best to find the most lovely and authentic people to love each other while the cameras were rolling.” And he did thanks to the cast’s great synergy and “authentic” love they had for each other.

To add to that authenticity, Arteta used John Hughes’ films (“Home Alone”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, and “The Breakfast Club”) as an inspiration for the film. He said he loved the warmth of his movies, but focused on the effects of how Hughes chose his cast. “The casting feels more authentic than most Hollywood movies. It gives it a real-world feel to the character.” One perfect example in the movie was the casting of Ed Oxenbould who plays Alexander in the film. “You wanted to find someone who was not your typical Hollywood kid, somebody that you would believe is an underdog and who didn’t feel like he was acting”, and I can attest to that being clearly evident throughout each scene.

In the end, the reality of family and the directing techniques of Arteta were so aligned that you can be sure that this is a true family film. And because it was a family film, it was more convivial to my heart and will be as well to yours when you see it with your family!

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What does family mean to you? Do watch movies with family values or portray the reality of families? Will you watch this film with your family? Tell us in the comments!