This fall will see the end of the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up!, but don’t cry for the dance-driven show’s fifteen-year-old Bella Thorne. Disney is helping her bridge the gap from TV to film with a plum role in their upcoming adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. THR reports Thorne has signed on to join a cast that includes Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, and Ed Oxenbould.
Based on the essential 1972 children’s book written by Judith Viorist, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day centers on a little boy named Alexander, who—as you probably guessed—has a really shitty day that involves getting gum stuck in his hair, being smooshed in the middle seat in the car, and getting served a desert-free lunch. (Oh the humanity!) You might wonder how this premise will be spun into a feature-length film. The short answer is that Alexander—through all his complaining—will begin to realize other people have bad days too, and effectively he learns empathy. This seems a good moment for an Adventure Time break:
Thorne has signed on to play the “gooey girlfriend” of Alexander’s enviable cool older brother. Funny enough, Alexander, who in the book repeatedly laments he should move to Australia—presumably where bad days don’t happen—will be played by Aussie child actor Oxenbould, whose biggest credit to date is on a drama painfully titled Puberty Blues. Carell will be playing Alexander’s father whose office gets trashed by his petulant son, while Garner will be playing the boy’s mom. It’s currently unknown who will play Thorne’s onscreen love interest/Alexander’s older brother. Presumably it will be someone handsome enough to go “gooey” over.
While Thorne has a handful of films to her credit—including the family dramedy Raspberry Magic and the horror-thriller Forget Me Not--none are terrible noteworthy. Even though she’s only got a small role in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, it’s a part ripe with opportunity. Scripted by Academy Award-nominated writer-director Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), this family-friendly movie will likely have a strong foundation and engaging characters. And Youth in Revolt helmer Miguel Arteta, who took over the project when Cholodenko walked away, seems sure to give it an earnest heart. But realistically, even if—against all odds—this Disney feature turns out to be a dud, she’ll still have had the career boost that is co-starring with Steve Carell.
Acquaint yourself with Thorne via her music video for the super chipper pop song “TTYLXOX.”
Man, that made me feel old.
