'Yes Day' — everything you need to know about Jennifer Garner's Netflix movie (2024)

Netflix's new film Yes Day explores what happens when Allison and Carlos Torres commit to saying "yes" to their children for a full day — no matter what they ask for.

Yep, it sounds like a recipe for complete chaos! Here's everything you need to know about the heartwarming new family comedy, based on the book Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.

Yes Day release date

Yes Day will be released on Netflix internationally on Friday March 12.

Who is in the cast of Yes Day?

Jennifer Garner — who also developed and produced the film — plays Allison, with The Undoing star Edgar Ramírez as her husband Carlos. Jenna Ortega plays eldest daughter Katie, with Julian Lerner as middle child Nando and Everly Carganilla as youngest daughter Ellie.

The film also features appearances from Nat Faxon (The Conners), June Diane Raphael (Grace And Frankie), Fortune Feimster (The L Word: Generation Q) and James Kyson (Heroes).

The premise of Yes Day

Carlos and Allison Torres used to be a fun-loving, up-for-anything couple — and then they had three children. Allison hadn't realised just how much she used the word "no" until she and Carlos went to a parent-teacher conference, where the teachers revealed that the kids see her as a dictator.

A devastated Allison is determined to show her kids that she hasn't forgotten how to be fun, so she agrees to a "Yes Day" — 24 hours where the kids get to make all the decisions and the adults aren't allowed to say no to anything (with a few important ground rules).

To the surprise of her children, Allison throws herself wholeheartedly into the concept while Carlos is a little more reserved — and while the day isn't without its challenges, both kids and parents soon come to understand each other a little better...

"Like Allison in the movie, so many of us were spontaneous and adventurous — and then we had kids!" says Jennifer. "In order to get this group of people of disparate ages, interests, personalities and temperaments from point A to point B all day every day, with the soccer cleats and the homework and the right snack in the right bag, you become a slave to the schedule."

Is there a trailer for Yes Day?

Yes, there is! You can view it here:

What else do we know about Yes Day?

The film is inspired by the children's book of the same title by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, which Jennifer read with her children. "I developed this movie, I produced it, and comes directly from my life!" laughs Jennifer. "My kids and I all read it, but my little daughter really, really loved the idea of it. We started doing Yes Days based on the book when she was three. She's 12 now — we've done nine of them!"

One of the sequences in the film sees the family playing Kablowey, a game that's a cross between paintball and Capture The Flag. The cast had to get physical to film the scenes and Jennifer's training from her roles in projects like Alias and Daredevil came in handy! "I did all my stunts!" she says. "My stunt double of 20 years, Shauna Duggins, has become an award-winning stunt co-ordinator, and she made it so much fun. She's not at all afraid of putting me on a wire, she doesn't care that I'm 48!"

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