Allison Torres used to be fun, she used to be spontaneous,
and she used to say "yes" to everything. But then, life happened. Allison got
married and had children and, at some point, "no" became her default answer.
"No. Absolutely not. Nope on a rope."
But Allison is determined to get her groove back, and a chance encounter
during a parent-teacher conference teaches her how: by giving her kids a "Yes Day."
For 24 hours, Allison and her husband Carlos vow to say yes to every ask that her children have.
"How am I just hearing about this?"
Can Allison keep her word, reconnect with her family, survive the day, and prove that she's
not the ultimate killjoy? You'll have to watch Yes Day, a family comedy from Jennifer Garner and
director Miguel Arteta, to find out.Here's what you should know about before you watch Yes Day.
The idea for Yes Day comes from a children's book by the same name
by award-winning author, filmmaker, and radio host
Amy Krouse Rosenthal, with illustrations by critically-acclaimed artist Tom Lichtenheld.
In the book, the Yes Day festivities are a little tamer than the ones in the movie. Still,
Rosenthal and Lictenheld's book is full of the same chaotic, irreverent energy as the feature
film. It's easy to see why the book is so popular with children, including Jennifer Garner's.
See, Garner has been celebrating Yes Day with her family for a while now,
and it's one of the most memorable and most punishing days of her year.
In 2017, Garner's exhausted post-Yes Day selfie went viral, and it was that selfie that attracted
the attention of producers Ben Everard and Lawrence Grey, who subsequently reached
out to Garner about adapting Rosenthal and Lichtenheld's book for the screen.
"Windows down!"
Yes Day's star, Jennifer Garner, needs no introduction. You might know
her as the butt-kicking double-agent from Alias, a Marvel anti-hero in Daredevil and its spin-off,
Elektra, or her turns in romantic comedies and dramas like 13 Going on 30,
Valentine's Day, and plenty of others. No matter where you've seen her before,
you know that Garner has no shortage of talent, charm, or enthusiasm. If you're a fan,
you'll see elements of some of her most famous roles in Yes Day, too. As Garner pointed out to
Entertainment Weekly, a scene where Allison chucks bananas recalls her time as Elektra,
and there's some Sidney Bristow-esque wire work during one of Yes Day's big set pieces.
Garner's on-screen husband is played by Edgar Ramírez, who scored Emmy, Golden Globe,
and SAG Award nominations for his leading role in 2010's Carlos, a three-part miniseries about
Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal. Really, though, that's just the tip of the iceberg.
More recently, Ramírez has made a big impact in movies like David Ayer's fantasy-cop drama Bright
and the gritty comic book adaptation The Last Days of American Crime. Don't worry,
though. While Yes Day is Ramírez's first big comedy, you'd never know it from his performance.
"Arrrriba."
Meanwhile, Jenna Ortega, who plays Allison and Carlos' oldest daughter, Katie,
should be familiar from projects like the CW's satirical telenovela
Jane the Virgin, thriller sensation You, and the horror-comedy sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen.
"Liquid alloy?" "Wait you watched Terminator 2?"
"Yes" "It's one of the four sequels in history that supersedes the original."
It's hard to imagine a better person to helm Yes Day than Miguel Arteta. A comedy based
on a beloved picture book? That's pretty specific, but Arteta has done it before:
in 2014, he directed Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,
starring - that's right - Yes Day lead Jennifer Garner.
But that's just the beginning. You want family stories that mix drama, comedy,
and all of the feels? Just look at Arteta's episodes of Freaks and Geeks and Enlightened,
to name a few. How about something funny? Features like Youth in Revolt, and Like a Boss all fit
the bill. Arteta's filmography is diverse, but there's a warmth and realness to even his most
far-out work - and besides all that, he's a skilled hand when it comes to directing comedy.
Arteta is aided by a heartfelt script by Justin Malen, who captures all of the original book's
charm while successfully ramping up the stakes in a way that better fits a feature film. That
doesn't come as a surprise, of course. With movies like Father Figures and Office Christmas
Party under his belt, Malen is well-equipped to handle a big-budget comedy. Just be careful.
Once your kids see the movie, you may find yourself on the hook for a Yes Day of your own.
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