Yes Day
NETFLIXLike a lot of Netflix original productions, Miguel Arteta’s Yes Day is a glossy, shallow and safe piece of entertainment that is utterly forgettable. Although it is harmless and almost redeemed by a charismatic cast, there is little to take away from the film, other than boring family values and lessons shown in probably a hundred other films.
From the start, the film is doomed to mediocrity by its premise. Parents, Allison (Jennifer Garner) and Carlos (Édgar Ramírez), decide to let their three kids have a full day where they have no choice but to say yes to each and every one of their kids’ whims – with ground rules, of course. The arcs of kids learning that maybe “no” can be a good thing and parents learning to recapture a bit of their youthly sense of adventure are so predictable and formulaic they barely even register. At least Arteta and the script by Justin Malen don’t push too hard on their central themes and mostly let the film be light and fluffy, like a certain comedic set-piece that caps the film.
While light and fluffy might mean the runtime flies by, it also means there is no depth to the narrative, and that goes for the film’s attempts at humour as well. Pixar and Disney have proven time and time again that just because a film is aimed at kids doesn’t automatically mean it can’t be funny to adults. Yes Day barely even attempts to appeal to any demographic other than rather dense children, and even they might not find its asinine attempts at comedy all that gut-busting. Perhaps a bit more edginess in its jokes or commitment to its gags might have served the film well, but as it stands, the only parts of the film that will crack a smile are some cringe-worthy moments.
Such is the scene, early on, where Allison and Carlos are forced to dress up in ridiculous-looking outfits and can’t tell everyone around them why they are doing so. Unfortunately, that’s all there is to the joke. Malen never follows through on his set-ups and some of the scenarios he concocts are simultaneously outlandish, but at the same time not crazy enough. A scene featuring an ice cream-eating competition plays like a dream, with onlookers cheering the parents on, and a scene with a water balloon fight turns into a half-hearted attempt at an Apocalypse Now reproduction – with a bit of a Star Wars score thrown in there, for good measure. In short, Malen, like Netflix, throws everything at the wall; most of it just doesn’t stick.
The two things that do, however, are the soundtrack and ensemble. Netflix’s deep pockets ensured that the film at least had a decent selection of music, and the scenes with songs are almost always superior to those without. There are also a handful of choice actors who do surprisingly well with the tepid script they were given. Ramírez plays the part of the “cool” dad exceptionally well, and even has a moment to shine as a still cool, but now angry dad. Nat Faxon and Arturo Castro completely steal every scene they’re in as a counselor and a police officer, respectively. Their scenes almost make up for the lack of humour in the rest of the film because, although they don’t have laugh-out-loud jokes, they are completely charming. A cameo by H.E.R. fuses the best elements of the music and cast and makes for an enjoyable finale. Inanity aside, Yes Day isn’t quite offensive enough to ruin anyone’s day and is short enough to not be too big of a waste of time. A family film in every sense of the word. Just don’t expect anyone, kids or adults, to have a great time.
