YES DAY. Designed to Make You Feel Good

Do you remember Instant Family from 2018, that very charming and decent family comedy by Sean Anders? That film, starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, told the story of a couple who adopt three siblings of different ages, which leads to plenty of (not always) funny situations. Yes Day, although focused on a family in which the parents are very much biological, is built on a strikingly similar concept in which Mom and Dad must take on a challenge set by their kids.

The premise revolves specifically around the titular “yes day,” a parenting method based on the idea that once in a while parents organize a special day during which the children can do whatever their hearts desire. Those of you who have tasted parenthood are probably shaking your heads now, saying, “What lunatic came up with that?!”, but in cinematic terms, such an idea is a perfect recipe for family-friendly comedy fireworks.

Both the kids and the parents get to show plenty of creativity— the former by coming up with wild challenges for Mom and Dad, the latter by trying to handle their offspring’s outrageous ideas. Yes Day relies heavily on this constant generational clash and the effort from both sides to prove their superiority over the other. Did this appealing but rather clunky narrative concept stand a chance of success? Yes and no.

Instant Family, mentioned at the start, was on the one hand hilarious—sometimes even a bit crude—and on the other addressed serious issues like adoption, rejection by biological parents, or racial prejudice. Sean Anders’ film was a somewhat more ambitious attempt at the family-film formula, whereas Yes Day is the kind of movie that could just as well appear in the Disney Channel lineup.

While it doesn’t lack emotion—occasionally even the difficult kind—everything is very safe and restrained. Allison and Carlos Torres (Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramírez) are incredibly sweet parents, but they forbid their kids from doing many things; their three children, meanwhile, are a highly creative and energetic bunch who could definitely use a bit more freedom. This applies especially to teenage Katie (Jenna Ortega)—the girl wants to go with her friends to a totally cool music festival, but her mother will only let her go on one condition… that they go together.

And even teenage rebellion in Miguel Arteta’s film feels watered down and overly polite. Sure, Katie does everything she can to wriggle out of her mother’s supervision and have some fun with her friends, but when push comes to shove, she turns out to be helpless and ends up seeking refuge from none other than Allison herself. The titular “yes day” quickly turns into a rather perilous endeavor, because although the three young Torreses have meticulously planned a full 24 hours, they still have no idea what risk management is—which is why their project eventually spirals out of control.

Everything, of course, ends well—how else could it end in a quasi-Disney film?—and we’re left to enjoy the small positives: a pretty good performance from the rarely seen these days Jennifer Garner, Edgar Ramírez playing completely against type, and the fact that this American-Latino family switches effortlessly between English and Spanish, adding a nice touch of authenticity.

Yes Day is a production designed to make you feel good, and—as long as you’re not allergic to sugary family films—it fully succeeds on that front. And that it will quickly slip from memory? Well, Yes Day was never meant to win awards or top year-end lists; its value should be measured by the fun it guarantees during the viewing—and that, you certainly won’t be missing.