One of the reasons I had yet to see Yes Day (2021) is because I could not think of how it would be much different than Yes Man (2008).  There are some surface level variations.  The former is appropriate for families, whereas the latter is more of a by-the-numbers romantic comedy with a fair bit of adult material.  That is, of course, assuming my memory is serving me correctly in fifteen years that have passed since I have seen Yes Man.  I am pretty sure I saw it in a movie theater, and I remember it having Zooey Deschanel in it.  This last bit is always a plus for me.  All the same, the titles of each kind say all you need to know about them.  Yet, since I watched Yes Day tonight, this is the one you are getting.

Before she has her Yes Day, mom Allison Torres (Jennifer Garner) was the kind of woman who said yes every day.  This also preceded getting married to Carlos Torres (Édgar Ramírez), who had a similar philosophy, and starting a family.  The obvious stereotypes apply.  Allison and Carlos were once free, but when they began having children, it was now “no” all the time.  It is Allison who becomes known for being negative.  Carlos is seen as the more pliant parent.  He cultivates this persona because at his job, he is the one who has to deny things for safety reasons.  At home, mom is the enforcer, and all the kids know it.  The main source of contention throughout the proceedings is their eldest daughter Katerina “Katie” (Jenna Ortega) wanting to go to a concert called Fleekfest where the real-life musician H.E.R. (as herself) is playing.  Specifically, Katie wants to go with her friends without parental supervision.  Carlos says it is okay by him but up to Allison.  Allison responds by saying that the only way Katie is going is with mom also attending.  The matter is dropped until the end of the day when mom and dad are called to school for a parent-teacher conference.  It is at this meeting that they learn how tightly-wound are their children.  Katie has written several haikus describing her family life as a prison.  Their son Evan “Nando” (Julian Lerner) made a video painting Allison as a brutal dictator with unfavorable comparisons to fascist leaders.  Allison is particularly taken aback by these revelations.  Coming away from the classroom, Carlos catches up with her in the school lunchroom.  As he tries to calm her down, they are overheard by their kids’ guidance counselor, Mr. Deacon (Nat Faxon), who is hiding out from the parents.  Overhearing the light argument between the Torres mom and dad, Mr. Deacon interjects with a radical idea: have a day when you say yes to whatever the kids want to do.  Allison and Carlos’ first reaction is laughter.  Amidst the chuckles, Allison adds that doing so would result in a catastrophe of epic proportions.  Mr. Deacon remains steadfast, telling the Torres that it is the key to the healthy relationship he has with his children.  Though they remain skeptical, a comment about Allison’s inability to have fun changes her mind.  Thus, she gives her kids the news that they will have the eponymous day.  There are some caveats.  First, they must be on their best behavior until the appointed moment.  Secondly, they cannot ask to do anything dangerous, that involves traveling great distances, or that will mean something to take place in the future.  With the pre-conditions met, and the ground rules understood, their day begins with their youngest, Ellie (Everly Carganilla) dressing up Allison and Carlos in some outrageous outfits.  Next, they go to an ice cream parlor and as a family complete a challenge requiring them to eat a ridiculous amount of sweets in less than an hour.  This is followed by them going through the car wash with the windows down.  Things then get a little aggressive when they head to the park to have a giant water balloon fight, getting a number of extras to come by telling them that they have an opportunity to be on a reality show.  One aspect looming over this is a bet that Katie makes with Allison.  Katie does not believe her mom can make it through the whole twenty-four-hour period without uttering the word “no.”  If Allison can accomplish this, then she will be going to Fleekfest with her daughter.  If Allison fails, Katie will attend with her friends.  It looks like things are going Allison’s way until, while the Torres family is at a theme park, she notices a text from Katie’s friends about older guys they intend to meet at the concert.  Allison overreacts, convincing herself that she needs to win a giant stuffed gorilla Katie had as a child to win back her offspring’s affections.  When another patron claims victory in the game, a fight breaks out and Allison and Carlos end up going to jail.  Because Katie is upset with her mom, she cons the other cops at the station into letting the kids leave, telling the police that their grandmother is taking them home.  In reality, it is her friend with whom she has been planning to go to Fleekfest.  Katie drops Ellie and Nando at their house and leaves for the concert.  Upon being let out, Allison and Carlos soon figure out that they have been tricked.  Allison goes after Katie, while Carlos returns to their home.  When he gets there, he finds a veritable riot of middle school aged kids making a shambles of the Torres abode, with red colored foam waist deep all over the floors.  This had supposed to have been Nando’s grand finale to their day, but it has gotten out of his control.  Carlos restores order, and forces the kids present to help with the clean-up.  Meanwhile, Katie is abandoned by her friends when she feels uncomfortable about the things they want to do.  She then loses her phone and is having a tough time in general.  What saves her is Allison getting on stage and singing at H.E.R.’s invitation.  Thus reunited, and with all the kids grounded but happy to be back together, we end with them peacefully camping in the backyard . . . until more red foam begins gushing from the house.

What strikes this Catholic reviewer about Yes Day is Allison’s prediction that such a deal would end in disaster.  It is all meant to be fun and games, and this is how it is taken by her and her husband.  Yet, she was proven correct.  This is because as fun as such a day would be for the children, it is also a terrible idea.  Now, some of this should be taken with skepticism because I am not a parent.  I do have nieces, though, and plenty of friends with kids.  I am also observant.  Finally, I have a pretty good idea of the role of a Christian parent, even if I may never be one.  The film portrays the kids as feeling unloved by the constant stream of no’s issued by Allison.  To be fair, she comes to feel bad about the effect she is having on her kids.  Nonetheless, there are perfectly sounds reasons for why a parent would say no to their children.  You see this in the movie in an early montage, with them trying to fly away with fireworks strapped to their backs, or climbing on roofs with ropes made of tied together bed sheets.  It is not unreasonable to deny these kinds of things to people.  God operates on loftier topics.  There are a lot of things for which we pray that God does not grant.  Actually, a more accurate way of putting it is that He does not always fulfill our requests exactly as we wish.  This is a hard thing for people to accept, and unfortunately it can lead to a great deal of resentment towards God.  However, just as Allison understands the dangers of trying to fly with primitive rockets, God sees the heart of what we ask for and responds accordingly.  The kids eventually see the wisdom that Allison and Carlos exercise with them.  It would be great if we could do the same with God.

Yes Day is okay.  Given everything Jenna Ortega has been doing lately, it is kind of interesting to see her in a movie like this one.  I am not sure that is a ringing endorsement.  It is simply something I noticed.  If any of this interests you, it is currently on Netflix.