Review of Bedtime Story (1964) by Mike T — 13 Oct 2009

Niven and Brando were both great actors who were just trying to have a bit of fun in BEDTIME STORY. The problem for me is that having FIRST watched Steve Martin and Michael Caine in the 1988 re-make "DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS".... I just couldn't fit Brando or Niven into the roles of Benson or Jamieson that Caine and Martin would come to play so perfectly, decades later.

Many of the gags and lines are the same from film to film but at times during BEDTIME STORY, I found myself laughing out loud at Brando's performance (and not for any good reasons either). Brando is not enormously funny in this film. (Great an actor as he is, how can he compete with Steve Martin comedically)? Niven is... well... Niven! He's prim, proper, dry and very British. A role that lacked the subtle, slow-burn reactions that Cain has perfected over his career.

BEDTIME STORY is not technically significant in any way. It's filmed in a very straight-forward, gimmick-free style with little or no attention paid to cinematography. The effects are what youve come to expect from a typical 60's era movie and add a certain charm to the overall production but doesn't deliver any real, visual stimuli or set any film-making standards.

This film was certainly funny for it's time and clearly... it's brilliance was strong enough for Hollywood to remake more than 20 years later, but for anyone who's seen and enjoyed the much superior DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS.... BEDTIME STORY will serve as a mere curiosity at best.

Watch it if you can find it.