If you are forced to attend, then at least Bedtime Stories is tolerable, and occasionally fun -- when it forgets to be dumb.
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:102
Fresh:25
Rotten:77
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Though it may earns some chuckles from pre-teens, this kid-friendly Adam Sandler comedy is uneven, poorly paced, and lacks the requisite whimsy to truly work.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some mild rude humor and mild language.
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:26-12-2008
Synopsis: Having promised to make a film his own kids could enjoy, Adam Sandler (YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN) delivers the goods in the charming fairy tale BEDTIME STORIES. As the film opens we meet Marty... Having promised to make a film his own kids could enjoy, Adam Sandler (YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN) delivers the goods in the charming fairy tale BEDTIME STORIES. As the film opens we meet Marty Bronson, running the family motel along with his children, Wendy and Skeeter. Marty's ruinous business sense forces him to sell the motel to ambitious developer Barry Nottingham. Marty hopes Skeeter will run the business someday, but years later we find Skeeter (Sandler) working only as the new hotel's maintenance man. So when Wendy (Courteney Cox) asks Skeeter to babysit her kids, Bobbi and Patrick, Skeeter--a master storyteller--wins them over by crafting bedtime stories that reflect his frustrations. From ancient Rome to outer space, Skeeter is the heroic underdog defeating his hotel rival, Kendall (Guy Pearce), and winning the hand of Nottingham's daughter. But when the kids' creative additions cross over into true life, Skeeter is convinced that they're the key to his sudden success. The price of that success, though, is the destruction of the kids' school. To save the school, his relationship with Wendy's kids, and the affections of love interest Jill (Keri Russell), Skeeter must bring his storytime heroics into the real world. Sandler puts his trademark man-child antics to good use as the disheartened handyman who fulfills his dreams by staying true to the people who matter most. Filled with plenty of humor and a heartfelt message, BEDTIME STORIES is an uplifting family fable that can be appreciated by parents and children alike. [More]
Starring: Adam Sandler, Guy Pearce, Keri Russell, Richard Griffiths
Starring: Adam Sandler, Guy Pearce, Keri Russell, Richard Griffiths, Courteney Cox, Lucy Lawless, Teresa Palmer, Russell Brand, Aisha Tyler, Jonathan Pryce
Director: Adam Shankman
Director: Adam Shankman
Screenwriter: Matt Lopez, Tim Herlihy
Story: Matt Lopez
Producer: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, Andrew Gunn
Composer: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Reviews for Bedtime Stories
Far from another Jumanji, any magic director Shankman tries to inject is squashed by Sandler’s distressingly annoying turn, while Russell Brand and Keri Russell look uncomfortably crowbarred in.
It descends into pathos, undermined by an insipid romantic subplot and the usual platitudinous guff about self-belief.
Appalling, hypocritical and dull. Imagine not watching this movie, then make that wish come true.
It’s a pleasing concept, and Sandler is at his least obnoxious, but surely Adam Shankman’s family comedy could have been wittier.
There's a surface liveliness to the movie, but it has that plasticky Disney quality and lack of real heart.
With the right material – think the day-glo campery of Hairspray – director Adam Shankman is capable of good things. Here you get the distinct impression there’s not enough room to accommodate Sandler’s ego.
An enormous amount of money has been thrown at the fantasy sequences, but it can't save a script that is woefully deficient in wit. And who better to drag the name of Disney through the mire than Sandler?
This sweet-natured family comedy makes for great entertainment, balancing adventure thrills with a hefty dose of laughter.
In Bedtime Stories Adam Sandler gives his most bearable performance yet.
A fun idea turns into a so-so comedy thanks to an unappealing hero and variable performances from the well-known cast.
Part live action, part animation, Bedtime Stories is relentlessly silly, kept buoyant by Sandler's zany cheer.
The script for this childish comedy is genuinely witty, and nicely played by the cast, but it would have been much more enjoyable if the plot had been a bit more innovative. Or if it actually went somewhere.
Adam Shankman's idea of directing a Walt Disney film is to pump toxic quantities of schmaltz into every available hole. Not a pleasant sight.
Some giggles for the kids, but otherwise this puts the ho-hum into ho ho ho.
While kids will get a few giggles out of this scattershot Disney fantasy-comedy, adults probably won't find much to laugh at.
A family-friendly Adam Sandler movie that, even with its strained plot developments, is tame without being lame.
...ultimately comes off as the most entertaining Adam Sandler comedy to hit theaters since 2004's 50 First Dates...
Latest News for Bedtime Stories
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This weekend people were in the mood for movies over Christmas weekend as multiplexes were jam-packed with customers that powered four different new releases to more than $30M... More...
December 23, 2008:
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This week at the movies, we've got a full slate of new flicks: Bedtime Stories, starring Adam Sandler and Keri Russell; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt... More...
December 23, 2008:
There is one big Sandler moment, when he discovers how to use a sandwich to brush his teeth. But I'll pass on the Cinderfella part, where instead of shoes, he promises to stick around 'like the stink on your feet.' Nose clips, please. ![]()
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