Review of Bedtime Stories (2002) by Robert L — 19 Mar 2012

Sandler the sandman.

Adam Sandler plays a downtrodden hard-working handy man for a hotel that his father once owned, as a young man he was promised if he worked hard enough he would one day run the hotel, but after all these years he is still just a handy man, but every night he tells his nephews magical stories and the next day, they come true. Can you tell it's made by Disney? I KNOW I CAN! but the real question is, does Bedtime Stories send you to sleep?

I should state here and now, I don't really like Adam Sandler, I mean he doesn't grate on me like some actors (I'm looking at you David Spade, Chris Rock or anyone in Grown Up's), but I do believe the man only has a thimble full of talent to spread between all his films (must like Ashton Kutcher in that respect). I don't know why it is, I suppose it's because in EVERY film I've ever seen him in all he does is eventually lose his temper and everyone (accept me) finds this hilarious, luckily, and somewhat surprisingly, in Bedtime Stories the lid is safely fastened onto Sandlers trademark anger. So without throwing himself around like an adult child, how does Sandler do? Well truly? He isn't half bad, I believe he is well cast as Skeeter Bronson, and yes I do agree that's the worst name ever for a character in a film.

As I've previously mentioned, the film is a Disney movie which really means we know what we are getting before we start. A minor drama involving morals (normally), a good message and a happy ending, and of course Bedtime Stories follows that formula to the tiniest detail. But that isn't so much of a bad thing when you see what the story and messages are. Here is what I read from Bedtime Stores -1) we don't value the education system enough, 2) children should be allowed to be children and do foolish things and have fun, 3) creativity is the most important talent a child can have, and we in no way encourage it enough today and 4) When you want something bad enough, all you have to do is play by the rules. Now, they are 4 messages I not only like, but also feel are important, so already Bedtime Stories has ticked two boxes, Sandler is tolerable and the ideals inside the movie are important, so is that it?

Well yes and no, Bedtime Stories has some neat little twists inside, it that will keep the kids happy and might surprise some of the adults, but really there is nothing else to set it apart from the pack, however I suppose the tiny deviations it does make are as much as you can ask from a company who's icon is a mouse.

The cast are good, if not bizarre. We have (apart from Sandler) Lucy Lawless, Courteney Cox, Keri Russell and Richard Griffiths all in totally random roles, we have Jonathan Pryce as an American for no apparent reason, Guy Pearce plays an evil character in every story and at the hotel, he is as usual the best actor in the film and I don't know why but Russell Brand plays a waiter and best friend to Sandler (and thankfully he doesn't swear), it's all just so... bizarre. Oh and Rob Schneider turns up to make a random cameo, I don't know I think it's something to do with Sandler and him being joined at the hip?

Bedtimes Stories is one of the better films to come out of Disney in the past few years, it doesn't try and reinvent the wheel, but it does try to add something to it, and I love creativity.