Yes Day movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Yes Day

Available on Netflix on March 12, 2021

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 26 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

I love the idea of a Yes Day! Parenting is full of “no’s”, so it’s important to show our kids that we can be fun and spontaneous too. The family-friendly film is based on the book Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

It’s not going to win any film awards, but it’s a charming movie your whole family will get a kick out of, especially if you have young kids. It’s sure to spark some conversations and ideas about what your own family can do to get out of a rut and have some fun together.

THINGS I LIKED:

I adore Jennifer Garner. She’s so gorgeous and just doggone charming. I’ll basically watch any movie she’s in because I love her that much. In this movie, she actually sings! Well, I’m pretty sure that’s her real voice and not someone else’s dubbed in. This is her first Netflix movie, but she has another one coming soon called “The Adam Project” with Ryan Reynolds and Mark Ruffalo. Yay! Director Miguel Arteta also worked with Jennifer Garner in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Theatrical)
Edgar Ramirez makes a handsome husband for Jennifer Garner’s character. They had a chemistry that was very sweet.
Fans of H.E.R. will be thrilled to watch her perform at the end of the movie.
The film features a family that sometimes speaks Spanish to each other. I thought it was really sweet that Jennifer Garner’s character (the mom) isn’t Latina but has made the effort to learn the language so her kids can appreciate and honor their cultural heritage.
The activities the kids choose are pretty creative. Speaking of the kids, all three of the child actors are pretty doggone cute. Jenna Ortega brings a fanbase with her, and Julian Lerner and Everly Carganilla are super cute.
Nat Faxon provides some random humor with his quirky character. Did you know he actually won an Oscar for a screenplay he wrote called THE DESCENDENTS?!
Wow, I was super impressed when the parents agreed to drive through a car wash with the windows rolled down! I used to fantasize about what that would be like when I was a little girl. I suppose it’s a lot easier to say yes to that if your car is a piece of junk!
I was impressed that so many kids stuck around after the party to help clean up. That rarely happens!
It’s lighthearted and fun. You’ll definitely catch yourself smiling and laughing.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I don’t understand why parents think it’s so horrible to look at their kids’ phones. The parents are the ones who bought the phone in the first place. Every now and then, I would do an unscheduled phone check on my kids’ phones when they were younger. They knew it could happen at any time, so they kept their communication clean and appropriate. As a parent, it was very educational and always provided fodder for deeper conversations with my kids. Yes, I understand the importance of respecting each other’s privacy, but parents don’t have the luxury of being naive when it comes to their kids’ cell phone activity.
Some of the situations and dialogue are super corny and cheesy.
Some sequences lasted too long.
I usually get a kick out of Fortune Feimster in movies, but the humor in her scenes just didn’t land for me.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some Spanish is spoken, sometimes with subtitles and sometimes without
No profanity
Talk about having a “Yes Day” with your own kids! As the movie showed, you’ll definitely want to set some ground rules before the day starts though!
Also, talk to your kids about the bad behavior illustrated in the movie and why it’s not acceptable.
Head’s up for parents who don’t know: “Fleek” means extremely good, attractive, or stylish