Danielle Solzman
The briskly paced Yes Day comes a year into the pandemic but it’s a nice a reminder of the fun that families will be having in due time.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been out of my apartment much for the past few months but I really needed this film. Here’s how much attention this film had: I did not look at my clock once! Nor did my cell phone bother to capture my attention either. It’s a tough thing especially when watching movies at home. So many distractions yet here I was watching Yes Day command my full attention! I imagine many other families will be glued to their TVs to watch the newest Netflix comedy.
Allison (Jennifer Garner) and Carlos Torres (Edgar Ramírez) are the type of parents/co-workers to say no. They never used to be this way. Once upon a time, they were fun people. But things change when you have children. You stop having the fun you once had. In protecting their children, they somehow turn into the worst people on the planet. To be fair, Carlos is liked more at home than Allison. On Parent-Teacher Conference day, Allison and Carlos learn what a “Yes Day” is from the guidance counselor/not-remotely-qualified coach (Nat Faxon). What this means is that electronic devices go off and the Torres children make the rules for their next 24 hours. Los Angeles does not know what kind of fun is about to go down!
I want to briefly discuss the third act without giving it away. Be forewarned that this is going to be the most emotional part of the film. Justin Malen’s script continually switches it up between the nerd party growing out of control and FleekFest. But even in doing so, the film doesn’t lose it’s tone at all. As a matter of fact, it also features a fun callback to something we saw earlier. Does the film get into predictable territory? Oh, certainly. Maybe some of the fun is because we see the film dive into familiar tropes. Not that I’m complaining. After a very depressing February spent mostly by myself in my apartment, I’m happy to laugh while watching a movie!
I love the diversity here. If there’s an area where films need to still improve, it’s the diversity aspect. I like to think that multiracial, bilingual families are normal even if we haven’t quite normalized this on the screen. The day is coming where this shouldn’t even be a second thought when it comes to casting films. Also, please let Edgar Ramírez do more comedy!
This film makes for a solid double feature with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Let’s just say that Miguel Arteta knows how to direct a family comedy. If not for Jennifer Garner being in the 2014 film, Yes Day might not even make it to Netflix! It’s kind of funny though, I didn’t even check the filmography until after viewing but found myself thinking about the earlier film.
Say yes to Yes Day because this family comedy is a blast!
DIRECTOR: Miguel Arteta
SCREENWRITER: Justin Malen
CAST: Jennifer Garner, Edgar Ramírez, Jenna Ortega, Julian Lerner, Everly Carganilla, H.E.R., Nat Faxon, Molly Sims, Fortune Feimster, Arturo Castro, Tracie Thoms, Megan Stott, Yimmy Yim, Snowden Grey
