I'm a Canadian living in England which gives me an odd view on things sometimes. Live in Norfolk wit...
I'm a Canadian living in England which gives me an odd view on things sometimes. Live in Norfolk with my husband and am waterlilly on dooyoo.
Member since:21.06.2009
Reviews:28
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Bedtime Stories had been on our dvd list since seeing a trailer for it at the cinema. My husband had been particularly keen to see it while I was so-so. I enjoy Adam Sandler's films and often enjoy children's films. However, I suspected this might be a watered down version of both.
THE PREMISE
Bedtime Stories was directed by Adam Shankman a choreographer turned director, who I love. Some of you will be less familiar with Shankman but he is a regular judge on the American hit show "So You Think You Can Dance" which is currently in its fifth series. When he's one of the judges I just want to adopt him and keep him with me all of the time and he can make everyone around me dance delightfully.
Ok, think I slipped up on explaining the premise. It's just that writing about Adam Shankman is more fun than writing about this film. Adam Sandler plays Skeeter Bronson, a handyman at the hotel that his father used to own and dreams of becoming the manager of the hotel. His sister (Courtney Cox), who is practically estranged from him, calls on him to help take care of her two children when her more practical colleague Jill (Keri Russell). Every evening Skeeter tells his nephew and niece a bedtime story and realises that the pieces that they add to the story come true. The slightly opportunistic Skeeter tries to turn this to his advantage in order to gain control of the hotel, but learns from the children and Jill that there are more important things in life.
SO SHOULD I SEE IT
Bedtime Stories had the possibility to be a delightful, fanciful film about children's imaginations. It also had the potential to be hilarious employing the comedic talents of both Adam Sandler and Russell Brand, as Skeeter's fellow hotel employee. Unfortunately it wound up simply being, ok. Both Sandler and Brand seemed to lose their comedic edge and timing in tempering their usually slightly cruder (in Brand's case this was like undergoing an entire personality transplant I think!) brand of comedy. Actually my husband hates Russell Brand so I don't think he felt that Brand could possibly be underused!
Sandler works very well with child actors as has been proven in several of his other films and so the chemistry between himself and Jonathan Morgan Heit and Laura Ann Kesling (what's with the middle name usage with the child actors?) was very good. Both children did well with their roles but were given a limited amount of screen time anyway. Kerri Russell as their teacher and Skeeter's potential love interest also seemed under used. Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon of Harry Potter fame) was quite delightful as the hypochondriac hotel owner, Barry Nottingham, but no one in the cast really seemed to shine.
The fantasy story sequences and the way some of the play out in real life will probably delight younger children. The stories range from the wild west to space and some of the graphics are fairly well done though nothing that's going to win awards. The huge-eyed pet guinea pig is also good for a few laughs but really seems like it would appeal primarily to children.
We are a no children household at this point so we had no children here to test the film on. However, my husband and I both agreed that this was one of those children's comedies that really was for the children. It just didn't have enough going on for adults to keep their interest. We had a chuckle or two at times but did spend a great deal of our time surfing the net during the film! With the love interest and some of the humour not seeming to strike the right chord for children either I'm wondering if it really appeals to them either.
Also published on dooyoo as waterlilly.
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Funnyman Adam Sandler stars in Walt Disney Pictures' Bedtime Stories the magical family ... more
comedy that's packed with adventure and lots of heart. When Skeeter Bronson (Sandler) babysits his sister's (Courteney Cox) children his imagination runs wild as ...
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