Bedtime Stories

Starring: Adam Sandler, Guy Pearce, Keri Russell, Russell Brand, Courteney Cox, Lucy Lawless, Jonathan Pryce, Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer
Directed by: Adam Shankman
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A hotel repairman (Adam Sandler) agrees to watch her sister's (Courteney Cox) two kids (Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer) while she is away. He tells them bedtime stories, and is shocked to discover that the next day, elements of their stories come true, no matter how fantastic! Now, he tries to figure out how to use this power to help him save his father's hotel from a scheming employee (Guy Pearce).

Review:

Tim: Bedtime Stories is a far more effective movie than I expected, but still falls just a bit short. It is occasionally funny, most entertaining, and would have been quite good if it didn't consistently stray into the ridiculous and impossible-to-believe. Still, there is enough magic in this movie to please most audiences.

The film does a very good job of balancing out the story with the fantasy bedtime stories. I was worried that the real-life plot might take the backseat to the more exciting, made-up one. I am really happy to say that this is not the case. If anything, the bedtime stories could have used a little more meat to them. They are entertaining, but surprisingly light and forgettable.

This movie really works because of the performances of the cast. Adam Sandler might have lost a bit of his edginess is recent years, but he is still one of the funniest actors in Hollywood. I honest-to-God can't begin to describe why he is so appealing on screen, but his hopeful manchild (with a splash of anger thrown in) is just wildly entertaining. I liked him in this movie so much that I felt excited about him for the first time in years. I also like Keri Russell- she can really made a difference in a film, with the right role. She is very effective in the movie and I liked her interaction with Sandler. I wouldn't expect these two to have much chemistry, but they do. Guy Pearce and Lucy Lawless mostly did good work, but they were just far too over-the-top. There were moments when they worked (more Pearce than Lawless), but mostly, they just looked silly and one-dimensional as characters (especially Lawless). The two kids, Richard Griffiths and Teresa Palmer are decent, but surprisingly forgettable. Most times, kids in movies are so cute or memorable that they really help the film. This wasn't the case here. Neither one detracted from the movie, but I just hoped for more.

Much of this movie is pretty entertaining. The back-and-forth between the bedtime stories and the real life drama is very effective and kept me interested. The biggest problem is that the movie starts to unravel towards the end. The final major sequence is so outlandish that it just hurts the movie. For most of the film, I was following along, able to believe the incredible events of the movie. However, by the end, it just asked too much, and I simply couldn't go along any more.

Bedtime Stories is an enjoyable movie that falls short of its potential. It does manage to entertain, and for that, I am grateful. While I can't say that this is a very good movie, it is close. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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