153 reviews
Once upon a time, Adam Sandler was in an entertaining family movie. True story...
The thing about Bedtime Stories is that it is light, funny, easy to digest and all around great for the whole family.
It's just like any other Sandler's movies except this one doesn't contain any only-for-adults jokes.
It might not be the movie I'd recommend to someone who is in for something serious or something that is seriously funny, but this movie has got it all. There's comedy, slight drama and a lot of action; from cowboys to the outer space.
Great writing and great acting.
Really, there's nothing to complain. It's just a very entertaining family movie, which we don't get a lot these days.
I recommend Bedtime Stories to any Disney fans and also to anyone who'd enjoy Adam Sandler's movies, minus the sexual and dirty jokes.
It's just like any other Sandler's movies except this one doesn't contain any only-for-adults jokes.
It might not be the movie I'd recommend to someone who is in for something serious or something that is seriously funny, but this movie has got it all. There's comedy, slight drama and a lot of action; from cowboys to the outer space.
Great writing and great acting.
Really, there's nothing to complain. It's just a very entertaining family movie, which we don't get a lot these days.
I recommend Bedtime Stories to any Disney fans and also to anyone who'd enjoy Adam Sandler's movies, minus the sexual and dirty jokes.
- SophomoreSlump
- Mar 18, 2009
- Permalink
a cute fest
Despite being a much milder and family-friendly flick, Bedtime Stories will not disappoint Adam Sandler fans provided they accept that they have to share him with a much younger audience as well.
Bedtime Stories is a PG-rated comedy about hotel maintenance guy Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler), who babysits his impossibly cute niece Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) and nephew Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit) for his uptight sister Wendy (Courteney Cox). He shares his duties with Wendy's co-teacher/friend Jill (Keri Russell), taking on the night shift, which is when he discovers that the stories he tells them come true the next day. Skeeter uses his new discovery to his advantage when he decides to create a happier ending for his own life, which is made miserable daily by his hotel nemeses Kendall (Guy Pearce) and Aspen (Lucy Lawless).
Sure, the scenarios are pretty ridiculous sometimes, but indulging in children's fantasies is a longlost pleasure that this famcom creates for his adult audience, while wisely introducing Sandler to his future audiences by appearing in a diluted version of himself. If you're not into warm-and-fuzzies (why fight it?!?), you might find this too saccharine for your moldy taste buds.
Bedtime Stories is a PG-rated comedy about hotel maintenance guy Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler), who babysits his impossibly cute niece Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) and nephew Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit) for his uptight sister Wendy (Courteney Cox). He shares his duties with Wendy's co-teacher/friend Jill (Keri Russell), taking on the night shift, which is when he discovers that the stories he tells them come true the next day. Skeeter uses his new discovery to his advantage when he decides to create a happier ending for his own life, which is made miserable daily by his hotel nemeses Kendall (Guy Pearce) and Aspen (Lucy Lawless).
Sure, the scenarios are pretty ridiculous sometimes, but indulging in children's fantasies is a longlost pleasure that this famcom creates for his adult audience, while wisely introducing Sandler to his future audiences by appearing in a diluted version of himself. If you're not into warm-and-fuzzies (why fight it?!?), you might find this too saccharine for your moldy taste buds.
Stories May Have Happy Endings
In 1974, Marty Bronson (Jonathan Pryce) builds the Sunny Vista Motel in Los Angeles, California, with the intention of raising his son Skeeter and his daughter Wendy in the place where he works. However he is not a good businessman and the hotel goes bankruptcy. Marty is forced to sell his motel to Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) that promises to hire Skeeter in a general manager position when he grown up. Years later, Barry builds a new hotel; forgets his promise to Marty; and Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is only the handyman of his hotel. The general manager is the arrogant Kendall (Guy Pearce), who is engaged with the shallow Barry's daughter Violet Nottingham (Teresa Palmer).
When the Webster Elementary School where Wendy (Courteney Cox) is the principal will be closed to be demolished, she needs to travel to Arizona for a job interview. Wendy asks her friend Jill (Keri Russell), who is teacher in the same school, to watch her son Patrick and her daughter Bobbi during the day and Skeeter to watch them during the night. Skeeter meets the estranged kids with his best friend Mickey (Russell Brand) and makes up bedtime stories to help them to sleep but the kids add details to the stories, changing their endings. Soon Skeeter realizes that the plot of the stories are coming true and affecting his life. Meanwhile Barry Nottingham decides to give a change to Skeeter to dispute the manager position in his new hotel with Kendall like in one of his stories. But Skeeter has told to his nephew and his niece that stories do not have happy endings.
"Bedtime Stories" is a family entertainment from the Disney Studios surprisingly good. Adam Sandler is very funny in this fantasy and it is impressive how this actor that is not handsome and actually has a sort of stupid face shines with his charisma. I have seen most of his movies and enjoyed most of them.
Based on the Metascore (33/100), I dare to say that fortunately I am not a professional critic. "Bedtime Stories" is not a movie to win awards in any film festival but is a delightful fantasy to be appreciated by those that have the concept of family and dreams. It might be very sad to have the absence of these feelings in the heart and give such low rating to this beautiful fantasy. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Um Faz de Conta que Acontece" ("A Make Beliefe that Happens")
When the Webster Elementary School where Wendy (Courteney Cox) is the principal will be closed to be demolished, she needs to travel to Arizona for a job interview. Wendy asks her friend Jill (Keri Russell), who is teacher in the same school, to watch her son Patrick and her daughter Bobbi during the day and Skeeter to watch them during the night. Skeeter meets the estranged kids with his best friend Mickey (Russell Brand) and makes up bedtime stories to help them to sleep but the kids add details to the stories, changing their endings. Soon Skeeter realizes that the plot of the stories are coming true and affecting his life. Meanwhile Barry Nottingham decides to give a change to Skeeter to dispute the manager position in his new hotel with Kendall like in one of his stories. But Skeeter has told to his nephew and his niece that stories do not have happy endings.
"Bedtime Stories" is a family entertainment from the Disney Studios surprisingly good. Adam Sandler is very funny in this fantasy and it is impressive how this actor that is not handsome and actually has a sort of stupid face shines with his charisma. I have seen most of his movies and enjoyed most of them.
Based on the Metascore (33/100), I dare to say that fortunately I am not a professional critic. "Bedtime Stories" is not a movie to win awards in any film festival but is a delightful fantasy to be appreciated by those that have the concept of family and dreams. It might be very sad to have the absence of these feelings in the heart and give such low rating to this beautiful fantasy. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Um Faz de Conta que Acontece" ("A Make Beliefe that Happens")
- claudio_carvalho
- Jan 4, 2013
- Permalink
It woke me up.
"What if the stories you told came to life?" Bedtime Stories Promo
Having suffered through Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), I was prepared to suffer through Bedtime Stories, his offering in the 2008 Christmas glut of fine movies that have few for kids. Sandler rules: This is one of the best children/adult stories this year, an ironic twist on romantic and heroic tales told from children's point of view through the masterful child/adult lens of an underplaying, child-friendly master.
Sandler's Skeeter Bronson takes care of his niece and nephew for a week. Of course he hasn't a clue because he hasn't seen them in four years and his job as super-maintenance man at the Sunny Vista Hotel in Las Vegas consumes most of his time and energy. He's the usual Sandler sweet-hearted semi-loser with reserves of child-like sympathies ready to be released.
The conceit is that after telling the humorous tales with the kids' ample and creative input at bedtime, the story elements become real in real life, altered to fit the modern context (e.g., a rain of gumballs actually happens the next day, explainable by a candy truck spilling its contents over a bridge onto Sandler). In this ingenious way, the film recalls the Wizard-of-Oz trick of making real in Kansas what Dorothy had experienced in the Emerald City.
There is nothing deep about this delight, just a small satire of a society that may be losing its sense of wonder and fun in order to bow at the altars of nutrition and commercialism. Not bad for a film I thought would be another Sander nodder. It woke me up to the joys of imagination and love.
Happy holidays.
Having suffered through Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), I was prepared to suffer through Bedtime Stories, his offering in the 2008 Christmas glut of fine movies that have few for kids. Sandler rules: This is one of the best children/adult stories this year, an ironic twist on romantic and heroic tales told from children's point of view through the masterful child/adult lens of an underplaying, child-friendly master.
Sandler's Skeeter Bronson takes care of his niece and nephew for a week. Of course he hasn't a clue because he hasn't seen them in four years and his job as super-maintenance man at the Sunny Vista Hotel in Las Vegas consumes most of his time and energy. He's the usual Sandler sweet-hearted semi-loser with reserves of child-like sympathies ready to be released.
The conceit is that after telling the humorous tales with the kids' ample and creative input at bedtime, the story elements become real in real life, altered to fit the modern context (e.g., a rain of gumballs actually happens the next day, explainable by a candy truck spilling its contents over a bridge onto Sandler). In this ingenious way, the film recalls the Wizard-of-Oz trick of making real in Kansas what Dorothy had experienced in the Emerald City.
There is nothing deep about this delight, just a small satire of a society that may be losing its sense of wonder and fun in order to bow at the altars of nutrition and commercialism. Not bad for a film I thought would be another Sander nodder. It woke me up to the joys of imagination and love.
Happy holidays.
- JohnDeSando
- Dec 24, 2008
- Permalink
Slightly funny and moralistic
Skeeter is a guy that worked hard all his life for a hotel his dad used to own. He's got high hopes to gain full control over it some day as that was promised to his father by the new owner. Many years have gone by and he's still in a low position though.
Due to circumstances Skeeter has to take care of his niece and nephew for a short while and the young kids prove to be a bit of a challenge for him, but he manages to do it. They demand a bed time story every night, and he gives it to them. He makes up stories himself, but soon all kind of weird things start happening.
And so on. The film rolls on like any typical Disney film. There's the backing story of a "hero" having to "rescue" some people in distress, there's the villain and the regular injustice. Added to that is the funny implications of what happens when a made up story becomes true. This addition gives this film some good laughs, and all in all it works out well enough, worthy of cinema time but not much more than that.
6 out of 10 gum-ball rain showers
Due to circumstances Skeeter has to take care of his niece and nephew for a short while and the young kids prove to be a bit of a challenge for him, but he manages to do it. They demand a bed time story every night, and he gives it to them. He makes up stories himself, but soon all kind of weird things start happening.
And so on. The film rolls on like any typical Disney film. There's the backing story of a "hero" having to "rescue" some people in distress, there's the villain and the regular injustice. Added to that is the funny implications of what happens when a made up story becomes true. This addition gives this film some good laughs, and all in all it works out well enough, worthy of cinema time but not much more than that.
6 out of 10 gum-ball rain showers
Actually funny
Say what you will about MOST Adam Sandler movies, Bedtime Story is actually pretty funny. Give it a shot.
A Nutshell Review: Bedtime Stories
At first glance from the trailer, I thought this would be somewhat as insipid as 2006's Night At The Museum, where Ben Stiller had to dumb it down to provide for mass entertainment with Safe written all over it because 'tis the season of good tidings and such. But as it turned out, Adam Sandler proved to have struck some gold with this Disney offering, and I thought it was successfully refreshing for a change after his vulgar outing as Israeli counter-terrorist operative Zohan Dvir.
Sandler stars as a hotel maintenance man Skeeter Bronson, whose father Marty (Jonathan Pryce) had to sell their family hotel to Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) to stave off bankruptcy. As a verbal clause, Barry promised to have let Skeeter run the hotel in the future, but as it turns out, maintenance is the department that Skeeter's stuck in instead. And things don't turn out all the more better in his life, where rival Kendall (Guy Pearce) gets slated to take over a new hotel since he's dating the boss's daughter Violet (Teresa Palmer), while Skeeter's sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) has to get out of town and dumps her two children Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit) and Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) for him and her friend Jill (Keri Russell) to babysit.
Hold on, didn't I just name drop a lot? You bet! Part of the fun in this movie are the familiar faces that pop up now and then. I had always associated Guy Pearce with more serious roles, and watching him ham it up here (his Broadway number especially) was something quite fun. Keri Russell continues to show that she ages with grace and Courteney Cox didn't lag any far behind too. We also have Russell Brand whom we know as the Brit rock singer in Forgetting Sarah Marshall star as yet another clueless slacker friend of Skeeter's, while Xena fans will lap at their star Lucy Lawless' supporting role here, and quite unrecognizable too with her bob hairdo.
And that's not all! Imagine having Carmen Electra in a cameo, together with Rob Schneider and I thought I spied Will Farrell too (I could be wrong with his uncredited blink and you miss appearance though) as they lend support to this Happy Madison co-production, as they always do the previously produced films. But what I felt had held the movie together, aside from that impossibly bug-eyed looking guinea pig, were the two kids Jonathan Morgan Heit and Laura Ann Kesling. They are Cute personified, and in all earnestness, just as how Sandler's Skeeter echoed, one cannot fathom how anyone would bear to abandon them, or as far as Wendy's upbringing is concerned, made them lose out on the fun things in life. I'd cuddle them, seriously (while at the same time try and get them to spin tales that go my way, haha!)
The two kids carry the show really well, and as the story goes, they have this inexplicable ability to make their version of the bedtime stories come true to life, while not exactly always in verbatim fashion. So while Skeeter thought he had figured things out, he tries to manipulate them so that they continue his stories which skew to his advantage, but of course this being a comedy, always end up in situations that provide fuel for laughter. And the production values don't come cheap too, as we have stories brought to life from medieval times, the wild wild west, outer space as well as in Ancient Rome, but always mirroring their real life counterparts and situations that Skeeter so decides. No effort was spared in making these stories as zany as they can be, but always kid safe.
There are some nice messages to impart, moral values if you wish, in what you could expect from a Disney film. It's extremely kid-friendly (I think I've mentioned this for the umpteenth time), and looking at the line up of offerings this Christmas season, this is certainly a no brainer for anyone to bring their whole family to. It doesn't try to be more than it is, and has this fuzzy warm feeling for its ending that suits the mood for celebration. It doesn't go over the top, and the ensemble cast all looked as if they had a good time putting together something for the season, for all to enjoy. Not an instant classic, but the bedtime stories here will grow on you. Recommended!
Sandler stars as a hotel maintenance man Skeeter Bronson, whose father Marty (Jonathan Pryce) had to sell their family hotel to Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) to stave off bankruptcy. As a verbal clause, Barry promised to have let Skeeter run the hotel in the future, but as it turns out, maintenance is the department that Skeeter's stuck in instead. And things don't turn out all the more better in his life, where rival Kendall (Guy Pearce) gets slated to take over a new hotel since he's dating the boss's daughter Violet (Teresa Palmer), while Skeeter's sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) has to get out of town and dumps her two children Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit) and Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) for him and her friend Jill (Keri Russell) to babysit.
Hold on, didn't I just name drop a lot? You bet! Part of the fun in this movie are the familiar faces that pop up now and then. I had always associated Guy Pearce with more serious roles, and watching him ham it up here (his Broadway number especially) was something quite fun. Keri Russell continues to show that she ages with grace and Courteney Cox didn't lag any far behind too. We also have Russell Brand whom we know as the Brit rock singer in Forgetting Sarah Marshall star as yet another clueless slacker friend of Skeeter's, while Xena fans will lap at their star Lucy Lawless' supporting role here, and quite unrecognizable too with her bob hairdo.
And that's not all! Imagine having Carmen Electra in a cameo, together with Rob Schneider and I thought I spied Will Farrell too (I could be wrong with his uncredited blink and you miss appearance though) as they lend support to this Happy Madison co-production, as they always do the previously produced films. But what I felt had held the movie together, aside from that impossibly bug-eyed looking guinea pig, were the two kids Jonathan Morgan Heit and Laura Ann Kesling. They are Cute personified, and in all earnestness, just as how Sandler's Skeeter echoed, one cannot fathom how anyone would bear to abandon them, or as far as Wendy's upbringing is concerned, made them lose out on the fun things in life. I'd cuddle them, seriously (while at the same time try and get them to spin tales that go my way, haha!)
The two kids carry the show really well, and as the story goes, they have this inexplicable ability to make their version of the bedtime stories come true to life, while not exactly always in verbatim fashion. So while Skeeter thought he had figured things out, he tries to manipulate them so that they continue his stories which skew to his advantage, but of course this being a comedy, always end up in situations that provide fuel for laughter. And the production values don't come cheap too, as we have stories brought to life from medieval times, the wild wild west, outer space as well as in Ancient Rome, but always mirroring their real life counterparts and situations that Skeeter so decides. No effort was spared in making these stories as zany as they can be, but always kid safe.
There are some nice messages to impart, moral values if you wish, in what you could expect from a Disney film. It's extremely kid-friendly (I think I've mentioned this for the umpteenth time), and looking at the line up of offerings this Christmas season, this is certainly a no brainer for anyone to bring their whole family to. It doesn't try to be more than it is, and has this fuzzy warm feeling for its ending that suits the mood for celebration. It doesn't go over the top, and the ensemble cast all looked as if they had a good time putting together something for the season, for all to enjoy. Not an instant classic, but the bedtime stories here will grow on you. Recommended!
- DICK STEEL
- Dec 23, 2008
- Permalink
A good family film from Adam Sandler
This movie is not Oscar material. Of course, that's not it's intent. The folks who made this wanted to put out a movie that kids would like and they did it. Sandler is clean in this film which will please parents. He's also quite funny which will please kids. This is a funny movie with a good heart. It doesn't pretend to be anything more than just a good, fun movie for kids to watch. Sandler plays his typical character, a loser with a heart of gold, this time named Skeeter Bronson. Sandler also finds a role for best friend Rob Schneider. Richard Griffiths is delightful as the germophobe hotel magnate, and Courtney Cox plays Skeeter's sister. It's obvious the actors had fun making this movie. The direction is light and fun, and the movie's pace is quick and engaging.
Don't expect to be dazzled, just expect to laugh some and for your kids to laugh a lot.
Don't expect to be dazzled, just expect to laugh some and for your kids to laugh a lot.
- kctiger818
- Mar 11, 2009
- Permalink
Not PG at all
The makers of this movie got confused about who they are making it for... is it for the kids, or is it for adults? I absolutely don't recommend any young children to watch it. With bad phrases like licking butt, references to pubs and night life, scantily clad girls, I think the director tried his level best to put in as much trash in there as was possible by remaining within the upper-est level of the official PG rating, with as many hacks as possible, trying to please the filthy adult mind, which they assume all adult parents have who might be watching it with the children. I think I might be a little more conservative then the rest of the folks here, but we must remember, it is the direction you set for children at a young age which will steer their lives later.
- asifshiraz
- Mar 15, 2015
- Permalink
it takes someone like Sandler to make a kids movie enjoyable
If you have been to the theaters once over the past month, you have to at least seen an ad for this. The marketing for this movie is everywhere, on TV, on McDonald's ads and every time I go to the theaters I have to sit through the ads for this. Disney paid a large amount of money to promote this, and since Adam Sandler is in it. For once Sandler gives up his trademark of crudeness and makes a tame family movie. However, there's still a bit of the Sandler factor and there's some in it for kids as well, so that makes it enjoyable for kids and adults. Sandler plays Skeeter, a hotel clerk who's forced to look after his sister's kids for a week. One night Skeeter tells an imaginary bedtime story to his children, and the next day it becomes true. Every time he tells a new story, whatever the kids come up with happens to Skeeter in real life. But he must find someway to make it stop, before something really bad happens. This is one of those movies you could take the whole family to. Unlike some of Sandler's recent efforts including Zohan and Chuck & Larry, he's tamed this movie up quite a bit. On a recent episode of Letterman, he says he has a daughter now, and he's decided he wanted to make a nice movie for the children. He makes this a delightful movie for children in every way. I don't mind Adam Sandler, but when he's doing movies like Zohan, I really think his PG-13 movies really should be R rated. However, even if this one isn't particularly good, it's still a delightful family movie and Sandler himself makes it enjoyable for everyone. No matter what age you are its clean enough to enjoy, and it's one you should bring the whole family to if it's possible.
- mexicospidergreen
- Dec 31, 2008
- Permalink
Its the kind of movie that can turn a bad day into a worse one.
Alright so basically the title pretty much sums up my opinion on this movie.Its so predictable and silly its irritating. I made the biggest mistake in choosing this movie at a date one time,as i thought it would save the day,as we all know a good comedy can break some tensions of a date between the two.I was always a fan of Adam Sandler..this guy has some really funny movies,many of which are really original and unpredictable(two aspects that a good movie must have)and i said,OK,lets go watch this comedy,i heard it had good reviews. It ruined my date and my day...i just sat there and watched the movie and i couldn't even put on a smile,thats how stupid it was.the girl i was with seemed to try to put on a fake smile or chuckle every once in a while when i looked at her,so i wouldn't feel that awful for choosing this crappy movie probably.It was the first time i went at the cinema to see a comedy on a date.most of the time im funny enough to keep them entertained and laughing all day,but since that day i was not in such a jolly mood,thought this movie would save the day.talk about being dead wrong...tsss Most of the jokes are down right stupid and childish.the actors are bad,even Adam plays poorly in this movie,the script is absurd and not funny.even a 8 year old kid who was sitting with his mother in the row behind me was bored and started to kick my seat out of boredom. The only thing good about this movie is its title,which is absolutely accurate...it surely is a story to put u asleep from a near-death state of boredom. If i wasn't with her i would have left the cinema after the first 20 minutes.i'm amazed to see such a high rating at such a bad movie..ow well... y'all take care.God bless!
Ticks all the Script Writing Boxes
Bedtime Stories' script is magnificently written. It has huge character arcs, tent poles, and humor. It can't get better. Only, it feels, at times, it overdoes a little. Overdoes the character arcs, the fiction. It, sometimes, becomes not believable, which is the only complaint I have from the Writer. I can even count the many times it has overdone such moments.
Now, Adam Sandler, has done a remarkable job. He stands tall, gives his best and delivers yet another amazing characrer with a spectacular movie.
Of course, family movies can get way better than this one is, however, it keeps gripping the audience right till the end. Nonetheless, the climax is exceptional too.
Now, Adam Sandler, has done a remarkable job. He stands tall, gives his best and delivers yet another amazing characrer with a spectacular movie.
Of course, family movies can get way better than this one is, however, it keeps gripping the audience right till the end. Nonetheless, the climax is exceptional too.
- pawanpunjabithewriter
- Apr 30, 2022
- Permalink
Sandler for the Win
Adam Sandler teams up with Walt Disney for a funny family movie. Sandler plays Skeeter, a man who grew up in the hotel business courtesy of his father. What was once a family owned hotel became part of the Nottingham chain. Skeeter went from son of the owner to maintenance man. His health nut sister, Wendy (Courtney Cox), went on to have two kids and be a teacher. Skeeter would experience some strange, almost magical, events when he babysat his niece and nephew for a week and regaled them with bedtime stories.
I got a kick out of "Bedtime Stories." It was funny and not overdone. The jokes were good and not extreme. It was a tamer version of Sandler.
I got a kick out of "Bedtime Stories." It was funny and not overdone. The jokes were good and not extreme. It was a tamer version of Sandler.
- view_and_review
- Nov 11, 2021
- Permalink
Past My Bedtime
One That Keeps You Awake Because Of Its Irritating Loudness
Like most of Disney's films, everything in 'Bedtime Stories' is over the top except that unlike in 'Enchanted' where it all came well together, 'Bedtime Stories' is a mess. Adam Sandler and Russell Brand are annoyingly loud. 'Bedtime Stories' is pretty much like a typical Adam Sandler movie but while a 'Mr. Deeds' had a John Torturro or a 'I Pronounce You Chuck And Larry' had a Kevin James that made those movies at least remotely funny while here the more talented actors like Courteney Cox, Keri Russell and Guy Pearce are terribly underused and limited to playing the typical sister, love interest and villain respectively. The guinea pig character seems to be there just for Disney convenience. This movie just is not funny. The story tries to include some magic and fantasy (which are nothing more than a tiny part of the movie) to make it more Disneylike but it ends up being a bad excuse of a children's film.
- Chrysanthepop
- Jan 18, 2009
- Permalink
A fun if not always smooth ride
It's rather refreshing to see Adam Sandler in a movie that is not devoted to being crude and it seems he can handle that well enough. Here, he plays a more down-to-earth character, a hotel handyman named Skeeter who helps babysit his niece and nephew while his sister goes out of state to look for work (she is the principal of an elementary school tragically being shut down--this figures into the plot). He entertains the kids were various bedtime stories inspired by his own problems and the young ones gleefully volunteer details and plot lines as well. Nice enough bonding project, until Skeeter notices incidences oddly reminiscent of details in the stories. They are done realistically enough--for example, a gum-ball rain shower appears in the form of a candy-carrying truck accident on an overpass above Skeeter. Still, the bedtime stories are more or less coming true.
It's a fun and charming idea and story, exuding a definite sweetness with a smattering of "gross" stuff to keep the small viewers giggling (I thought it was all in good, juvenile taste, never went overboard). The concept was more original than the story itself, but was still well-balanced. I think my only real complaint was that the plot was not the most organized thing in the world. It did not wander, per say, but while the stories-to-life thing is a nice plot device, it should not be solely relied upon. I found myself several times asking myself what just happened and why. Events and relationships popped out of nowhere without rhyme or reason.
Perhaps a little tightening of the plot and more attention upon characters would not have hurt this movie.
Still, "Bedtime Stories" is sweet, imaginative, and does not ask much more than to be liked. And likable it certainly is.
It's a fun and charming idea and story, exuding a definite sweetness with a smattering of "gross" stuff to keep the small viewers giggling (I thought it was all in good, juvenile taste, never went overboard). The concept was more original than the story itself, but was still well-balanced. I think my only real complaint was that the plot was not the most organized thing in the world. It did not wander, per say, but while the stories-to-life thing is a nice plot device, it should not be solely relied upon. I found myself several times asking myself what just happened and why. Events and relationships popped out of nowhere without rhyme or reason.
Perhaps a little tightening of the plot and more attention upon characters would not have hurt this movie.
Still, "Bedtime Stories" is sweet, imaginative, and does not ask much more than to be liked. And likable it certainly is.
- scoutcraftpiratess
- Jan 10, 2009
- Permalink
Sandler has found his match: Children's films!
Sandler plays a despised handyman at a hotel, witch once belonged to his father. Originally, he was supposed to be the manager of this hotel, but its new owner, does not have much confidence in him and rather keeps him as a handyman. When Sandler is forced to help his sister out and babysit her children, a chance of redemption is offered, when the tales that he tells them during bedtime, witch are inspired by his own life, starts to influence reality.
OK, first thing. Sandler, while not a favorite of mine and admittedly a downright bad actor, has always possessed something endearing to me. Maybe if i watched more of his stinkers i would learn to loathe him accordingly but i never quite been able too, and in this one i believe he has found his match. Children films, bad acting doesn't matter to much (kids doesn't notice or care) if the film is campy enough (and this is VERY campy)and i fore one think he manages to come across as a really likable average-Joe.
The script is very unfocused, but there is no mistaking the imagination involved here, the whole film realized with a gleefully off-the wall spirit that i personally found very disarming. For sure, some of the humor is lame as hell. But it IS a children's film, and for all the bad parts there are also parts that amused me. (I would love to live in a world where you could impress a girl by jumping at a fat guys stomach). The parts where Sandler tries to invoke the fairytale into his own life, resulting for instance, in him getting robbed, are especially funny. But the growing relationship with the handyman and the kids and the other babysitter, while maybe overly cute, are there to. Its well rounded in this respect.
All in all, an enjoyable film, even if its to long and has some embarrassingly bad parts.
OK, first thing. Sandler, while not a favorite of mine and admittedly a downright bad actor, has always possessed something endearing to me. Maybe if i watched more of his stinkers i would learn to loathe him accordingly but i never quite been able too, and in this one i believe he has found his match. Children films, bad acting doesn't matter to much (kids doesn't notice or care) if the film is campy enough (and this is VERY campy)and i fore one think he manages to come across as a really likable average-Joe.
The script is very unfocused, but there is no mistaking the imagination involved here, the whole film realized with a gleefully off-the wall spirit that i personally found very disarming. For sure, some of the humor is lame as hell. But it IS a children's film, and for all the bad parts there are also parts that amused me. (I would love to live in a world where you could impress a girl by jumping at a fat guys stomach). The parts where Sandler tries to invoke the fairytale into his own life, resulting for instance, in him getting robbed, are especially funny. But the growing relationship with the handyman and the kids and the other babysitter, while maybe overly cute, are there to. Its well rounded in this respect.
All in all, an enjoyable film, even if its to long and has some embarrassingly bad parts.
- regnarghost
- Apr 5, 2009
- Permalink
no need for greatness to enjoy a kiddie's movie
its really hard for me to swallow.that hes getting bashed so frequently and people just seem to misunderstand his comical talent for being retarded. to me Adam Sander really is a great guy who just doesn't take things as serious as most people criticizing him do. he has played a'lot of strong parts without acting all goofy and mind boggling crazy, where there were glimpses of his capacity and potential but i feel few people take the time to contemplate that side off the medal like his role in Spanglish, punch drunk love, and other flicks i wont mention(l). this is a movie meant for kids but also for adults who feel they need a break from everyday stress and occupational environments full off chaos and restrictions. not having to use your brain and just dream away, getting in touch with your inner child and remembering forgotten childhood memories. thats how id interpret it but to each his own i'm not trying to force his character on anyone, but i feel some people should give it an honest chance you might get really awkwardly positively surprised. don't expect much of this particular film, but enjoy it on a less reluctant level.
- llsweetangelo
- Jan 1, 2009
- Permalink
A handful family movie
On the face of it, 'Bedtime Stories' is one of these tales informed at bedtime: safe, comforting, and predictable. But there's a topping: it has Adam Sandler, a hero whose principal distinctive feature is not his looks, state, or valor but a likeability that facilitates you neglect all of it. He is Shrek, with an "ass" via way of means of his side.
Plus, it has youngsters whose smiles do not overlast ours.
So the tale of a lodge handyman with desires of at some point proudly owning a lodge of his own, and his fanciful bedtime tales to his nephew and niece which come actual is not as unbelievable as it sounds. Sandler's cheery earnestness stands him in top stead - you need what he wants, for he would not need for trying it. He adroitly moves the proper be aware despite the youngsters.
Sandler's Skeeter Branson would not have lots revel in with them however an interplay would not surely throw his global upside down. Branson simply follows an easy rule: do what he did, and liked, in his childhood. Yes, it nonetheless works!
As for Branson's ambitions, he is not maudlin approximately it. Life is top, it can be better. Who can argue with that, in particular with magical good fortune helping?
The women, Russell (the kid's teacher-cum-guardian) and Teresa Palmer (Paris Hilton with a coronary heart of silver, if now no longer gold), do not surely have lots to do besides discerning in Branson's tales. Courteney Cox would not discern at all.
A creature that does hog an inordinate quantity of space, though, is that this guinea pig with great eyes. Yes, the eyes of the one forestall you on your tracks, however, how frequently does one want to remind?
The youngsters who assist placed those stories collectively with valuable, however happily youngsters-like inputs, are capable foils to Sandler. He is attempting to re-find out his childhood, which blanketed a few magical moments together along with his father; they may be looking for a foothold as adults without a father around them. In this film, a few times, they discover a sensitive balance.
Plus, it has youngsters whose smiles do not overlast ours.
So the tale of a lodge handyman with desires of at some point proudly owning a lodge of his own, and his fanciful bedtime tales to his nephew and niece which come actual is not as unbelievable as it sounds. Sandler's cheery earnestness stands him in top stead - you need what he wants, for he would not need for trying it. He adroitly moves the proper be aware despite the youngsters.
Sandler's Skeeter Branson would not have lots revel in with them however an interplay would not surely throw his global upside down. Branson simply follows an easy rule: do what he did, and liked, in his childhood. Yes, it nonetheless works!
As for Branson's ambitions, he is not maudlin approximately it. Life is top, it can be better. Who can argue with that, in particular with magical good fortune helping?
The women, Russell (the kid's teacher-cum-guardian) and Teresa Palmer (Paris Hilton with a coronary heart of silver, if now no longer gold), do not surely have lots to do besides discerning in Branson's tales. Courteney Cox would not discern at all.
A creature that does hog an inordinate quantity of space, though, is that this guinea pig with great eyes. Yes, the eyes of the one forestall you on your tracks, however, how frequently does one want to remind?
The youngsters who assist placed those stories collectively with valuable, however happily youngsters-like inputs, are capable foils to Sandler. He is attempting to re-find out his childhood, which blanketed a few magical moments together along with his father; they may be looking for a foothold as adults without a father around them. In this film, a few times, they discover a sensitive balance.
- Mysterygeneration
- Mar 4, 2022
- Permalink
one big happy UNfamily
It's not the cuteness that offends - it's the obviousness of the effort to be cute.
Everyone involved in this pic - even the children actors - are trying to find 'the formula' for a cute Disney kids' movie. So there's no effort to tell a straight story as well as possible, to define and perform interesting characters in interesting situations. Instead, obnoxious cuteness (21st Century style, so it's utterly tasteless) abounds. The guinea pig has disturbing bug eyes and craps and farts a lot - but it is, after all a guinea pig, so it just must be 'cute' - right?! Well, no. Cute for cute's sake is a kind of porno-of-the-mind for anxiety-ridden parents, since like the sex-for-sex-sake of porn, movie cute gets awfully tiresome after a while.
There are some good jokes at the beginning, but once the movie enters the main excuse for a plot, about bed-time stories coming true in odd (and oddly unremarkable) ways, the sheer effort to get cute gets less and less bearable as the film drags on.
And yet, one thing really bothered me - the supposed theme of the film is the coming together of an estranged family - and I found this movement in the plot completely unbelievable. In fact the members of the movie family play against each other like total strangers - a bit unnerving in a 'kids' movie.'
Everyone involved in this pic - even the children actors - are trying to find 'the formula' for a cute Disney kids' movie. So there's no effort to tell a straight story as well as possible, to define and perform interesting characters in interesting situations. Instead, obnoxious cuteness (21st Century style, so it's utterly tasteless) abounds. The guinea pig has disturbing bug eyes and craps and farts a lot - but it is, after all a guinea pig, so it just must be 'cute' - right?! Well, no. Cute for cute's sake is a kind of porno-of-the-mind for anxiety-ridden parents, since like the sex-for-sex-sake of porn, movie cute gets awfully tiresome after a while.
There are some good jokes at the beginning, but once the movie enters the main excuse for a plot, about bed-time stories coming true in odd (and oddly unremarkable) ways, the sheer effort to get cute gets less and less bearable as the film drags on.
And yet, one thing really bothered me - the supposed theme of the film is the coming together of an estranged family - and I found this movement in the plot completely unbelievable. In fact the members of the movie family play against each other like total strangers - a bit unnerving in a 'kids' movie.'
Great Family Flick
Excellent family flick. Nice Adam Sandler style comedy without the raunchy stuff that would mess it up for watching it with the kids. I just don't understand why they feel they need to muck up good movies with junk when this film shows that it's quite possible to pull off a successful project without it. Bedtime Stories had some funny scenes and kept both me and my five year old daughter entertained the entire time. She even laughed out loud a few times which always makes me take the rating up a notch. I like to hear her laugh so when a film pulls that off I'll definitely recommend it!
Nice job! See it with or without the little ones! :o)
Nice job! See it with or without the little ones! :o)
Oh, people are being generous to this film
- Smells_Like_Cheese
- Mar 21, 2009
- Permalink
Good family fun...
We went to this movie with my two kids (ages 7 and 10, both girls), my Brother-in-law and his wife and their two kids (ages six and nine, both boys.) We were a bit apprehensive about this due to the poor critics ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. (Frankly, the critics gave it abysmal ratings and I almost avoided this entirely because of those ratings.) And perhaps they were right. But I know that despite the critics we all enjoyed it greatly. Maybe it was just the mood we were all in or the good meal we just had before the movie but we laughed throughout. Obviously there is no high-brow humor here or social commentary to be made. It's just a movie who's sole purpose is simply to have fun.
Cookie cutter? Perhaps. In fact, in retrospect I'm sure it was. But it was still enjoyable.
So if your looking for something more than what you see in the previews, forget it. It isn't happening. This movie makes no pretenses about what it is exactly about: good fun. If your looking for anything other than that, you're going to be disappointed.
On the down side, some of the best moments were captured in the previews. While this certainly isn't the first movie to this (not the last I'm sure), it always seems to take something away from the experience of watching the movie. But there were plenty of other twists and turns in this movie that helped minimize the effect this had on the overall viewing experience.
Overall this movie was a delight for kids both big and small in our group. You'll enjoy it if you watch it with a child's eye...and not those big ones Bugsy has!!!
Cookie cutter? Perhaps. In fact, in retrospect I'm sure it was. But it was still enjoyable.
So if your looking for something more than what you see in the previews, forget it. It isn't happening. This movie makes no pretenses about what it is exactly about: good fun. If your looking for anything other than that, you're going to be disappointed.
On the down side, some of the best moments were captured in the previews. While this certainly isn't the first movie to this (not the last I'm sure), it always seems to take something away from the experience of watching the movie. But there were plenty of other twists and turns in this movie that helped minimize the effect this had on the overall viewing experience.
Overall this movie was a delight for kids both big and small in our group. You'll enjoy it if you watch it with a child's eye...and not those big ones Bugsy has!!!
Bedtime Stories
- jboothmillard
- Jan 5, 2012
- Permalink
Yawn
This is a Rom/Com movie of the sort that Hollywood churns out on a regular basis. It follows the usual formula of these films, but is a bit light on both the romance and comedy. The romance between Skeeter (Sandler) and Jill (Keri Russell) never really has much chemistry and I can't imagine it ever getting off the ground based on their early exchanges. The comedy is also a bit light although there are a couple of funny sequences. The film contains supporting roles by Courtney Cox and Russell Brand in addition to the lead roles played by Sandler and Russel, so it will have a fairly wide appeal.
I'm sure people that are looking for a date movie will find what they want in the film, but if you are looking for something intelligent look elsewhere.
I'm sure people that are looking for a date movie will find what they want in the film, but if you are looking for something intelligent look elsewhere.