'Bedtime Stories' Movie Review

Bedtime Stories is a kid-friendly Adam Sandler comedy that's going to make preteens giggle and make adults wish they were anywhere else but in a theater watching this dopey movie. Sandler knows what tickles kids' funny bones and with Bedtime Stories he aims to please the younger set while obviously not caring one bit about the torture he's forcing adults to endure.

Bedtime Stories is Adam Sandler doing Adam Sandler. Every facial contortion and grumbly mumbly dialect from past Sandler pics is put into play again in Bedtime Stories. There's a lot of recycled Sandler bits in this obnoxiously goofy message movie, gags and voices that worked much better the first time around.

The 2006 holiday movie season served up Night at the Museum, and that Ben Stiller comedy became a huge blockbuster earning $42 million its opening weekend and $571 million worldwide before heading out of theaters. Compared to Bedtime Stories, Night at the Museum is a masterpiece. 2007's big family holiday comedy was Alvin and the Chipmunks starring Alvin, Theodore, Simon, and Jason Lee. I'd take listening to bad rap performed by animated animals over Sandler's latest comedy any day of the week.

The Story

Skeeter Bronson (Sandler) grew up in his family's hotel. When poor dad couldn't make a go of the business, he sold the property to Barry Nottingham who promised Skeeter would one day run the hotel. But Barry didn't keep his word. The adult Skeeter is employed at the hotel, but as a maintenance guy – not in management. Yet Skeeter loves the place and treats it like home, despite the fact he's treated like a bug everyone in management would like to exterminate.

Meanwhile, on the homefront his sister (played by Courteney Cox) is in the process of losing her job as an elementary school principal due to the fact her school's closing down. She enlists Skeeter to take care of her two kids and a bug-eyed guinea pig (which is the cutest/funniest thing about this whole movie) while she's away job hunting for a week. He reluctantly agrees. And of course, that leads to - taa-daa!!! - the telling of bedtime stories. As he makes up funny tales for the kids, it's quickly evident that whatever they contribute to his stories comes true in real life. This sets up a series of hysterical incidents (if you're 5-12 years old) in which Skeeter learns super important life lessons. Mix into the plot a competition between he and hotel executive Kendall (played by Guy Pearce) over the theme for a brand new hotel and a budding romantic relationship with a perky teacher (played by Keri Russell) and that's pretty much it.

The Cast

This is Sandler doing what he did better 10 / 15 years ago in Big Daddy and Billy Madison. Those kid comedies worked - this one falls flat. And what is Guy Pearce doing in this movie? Maybe the script read as a meaty comedy... I'm not sure what drew him to the project but it's uncomfortable watching him ham it up. Courtney Cox puts in about 10 minutes worth of screen time and she's fine as an overly protective, vegetarian mom. Russell Brand, the guy who ran away with Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is underused but at least when he is on the screen, he's funny. Keri Russell serves as the love interest and link between the kids and Skeeter. There's nothing to the part so Russell doesn't have to do anything but look cute. She does that just fine.

The Bottom Line

Maybe I'm just over Sandler's kid-oriented films. His recent excursions into comedy have been strictly for adults (You Don't Mess with the Zohan, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) and while they weren't exactly the next best thing to sliced bread, they had enough laughs in them to at least make them worth checking out on DVD. Bedtime Stories just makes me wish I'd put the hour and a half of mine it wasted to better use napping.

GRADE: C-

Bedtime Stories was directed by Adam Shankman and is rated PG for some mild rude humor and mild language.

Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2008