BD Review: Bedtime Stories

Movie Info:
Writers: Matt Lopez, Tim Herilhy
Director: Adam Shankman
Cast: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Lucy Lawless, Courteney Cox, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Laura Ann Kesling, Jonathan Pryce, Nick Swardson, Kathryn Joosten, Allen Covert, Carmen Electra
Rating: PG
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: December 25, 2008
DVD Release Date: April 5, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $26.99

I’ve seen just about every Adam Sandler movie there is, except for The Longest Yard. I’m not exactly sure why I didn’t see that movie, but I’ve seen just about everything else that he’s been in, especially those movies he’s produced through Happy Madison Productions. I think Adam Sandler is one of the true comedic geniuses of this generation. Each generation of SNL alumni has their geniuses. Adam tops the list (along with Mike Myers, David Spade and Chris Farley) from the group of alumni who made it big in the early 90s.

Adam showed his prowess for comedy on SNL with performances as Opera Man, Canteen Boy, Cajun Man and Brian (The Denise Show). These reoccurring characters introduced audiences to the type of comedy Sandler would bring to the show and his movies. When he left SNL his movies were just as funny, with that same, quirky sense of humor that made him a fan favorite on SNL. Movies like The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, Big Daddy, Billy Madison and Mr. Deeds just further enhanced Sandler’s career, making him one of the kings of movie comedy.

Over a decade later, Sandler has found a way to combine his funky comedy style with a family friendly movie theme. Bedtime Stories blends the humor of Sandler’s past endeavors with the kind of fun that the entire family can enjoy. Sure, Sandler doesn’t get crude in the kind of adult way he does in other movies he’s done (You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, for example), but there is that crude kind of kid-friendly humor that would be acceptable in a Disney film.

What Adam Sandler is able to do with Bedtime Stories is to make a movie with his brand of humor that is actually something the entire family can enjoy watching together. Who’d have thought he’d be making a Disney movie ten years ago? Bedtime Stories has decent acting, a funny, unique story and the entire movie is fun. It stands out as the film you’d never thought Adam Sandler would make, but he did, and it is actually really excellent.

The Bedtime Stories Plot
The movie starts with a look back at the childhood of Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) and his sister, Wendy (Courteney Cox). The two grew up at the small, family hotel their father, Marty (Jonathan Pryce), owned. When Marty must sell the hotel, he gets the new owner, Mr. Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) to promise to let Skeeter run the hotel when he is older.

Skeeter ends up the handyman of the hotel, which has been transformed from a small, family hotel into a rich, expensive hotel. When Mr. Nottingham decides to open a new hotel, he gives the manager position to Kendall (Guy Pearce), a snooty, suck up who is dating Nottingham’s daughter Violet (Teresa Palmer). This makes Skeeter very upset, because he’s devoted his life to the hotel.

Wendy, a school principal with a health fetish, asks her brother to watch her children so she can go to find a new job in Arizona. The school is being closed for a new real estate venture, and she has no choice but to ask Skeeter for help. Skeeter’s niece Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) and nephew Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit) barely know him because their mother hasn’t allowed Sketter to visit them. Her ex-husband wouldn’t let him in the house or near the kids, but now that Wendy is divorced, he finally gets to bond with them.

Skeeter and Wendy have an awkward relationship, so Wendy asks one of her teachers and best friend, Jill (Keri Russell), to babysit the kids during the day. Jill is initially disgusted by Skeeter, but the kids seem to like him and he’s good to their guinea pig, Bugsy, so she eventually starts to come around. When Skeeter realizes the true way he can connect with the kids is through telling them bed stories, it soon becomes his favorite time spent with them.

However, when the parts of the stories the kids tell start to come to life, Skeeter thinks he can use that to his advantage. With the help of his best friend, Mickey (Russell Brand), Skeeter is sure he can use the kids’ stories to get Kendall out of the management position, but such endeavors come with a price.

This movie also features Lucy Lawless as the snotty, desk clerk, Aspen with cameos by Nick Swardson and Rob Schneider.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
It is always hard to complain about a new release that has been given a good treatment on Blu-ray. Bedtime Stories utilizes a 1080p AVC encode and has the Disney treatment that has made plenty of good Blu-ray transfers. Kids will love this transfer and adults shouldn’t have much to complain about either.

The colors are bright and whimsical and the level of detail is about as high as it comes. The blacks and flesh tones are impressive and there isn’t anything distracting or out of place to report. All in all, this is a top notch transfer that does Bedtime Stories great justice.

Audio is handled with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix that certainly offers more bang for your buck. The surround is used more than you would expect in this film. There are a lot of action-esque sequences so there are moments where the audio really has time to shine. In general moments, the music sounds good, if not a little overpowering at times and the dialogue remains crisp and understandable throughout the entire movie.

There really isn’t much to complain about here. If I had to pick a better presentation, the video would win, but the audio sounded great and got the job done with no problems. In addition to the lossless track there are French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks available. Subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Surprisingly, there are not a lot of special features that accompany Bedtime Stories. Most Disney productions try to add a healthy mix of features for adults and children, but this just feels lacking.

“To All the Little People”: This five minute interview segment takes a look at the kids, Jonathan Morgan and Laura Ann Kesling that are in the movie. You can expect a lot of praise from the adults and moderate amounts of fluffy back-patting.

“Until Gravity Do Us Part”: This is another short feature that serves as a behind the scenes. At only four minutes this segment looks at the sci-fi bedtime story, rather than the entire movie.

“It’s Bugsy”: Basically what you get here is four minutes of learning how they brought Bugsy to life using real animals with graphic, CGI type enhancements. As with most of the features, so far, there isn’t anything here that will wow adults or kids.

“Cutting Room Floor”: Here you have eleven minutes worth of twelve deleted scenes. There was a funny moment or two, but it’s obvious why these were deleted.

“Laughter is Contagious”: This is a small collection of outtakes, which are actually pretty funny. Fans of the movie should enjoy these quite a bit.

Also included are specific BD Live features, a DVD copy, and a digital copy of the film for people that want to watch Bedtime Stories in other formats.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Bedtime Stories is a cute movie that the whole family should be able to enjoy. It’s not your typical Happy Madison Production, but it is nice to have something that you can share with the kids. The message is good and the comedy is funny enough for kids, but has a few hidden jokes just for adults to keep everyone happy. I recommend checking this out if you’re looking for a good movie to watch with the kids.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Blu Ray, Blu-ray Review, Lucy Lawless, Adam Sandler, Adam Shankman, Comedy, Keri Russell, Russell Brand, Kids, Bedtime Stories

Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.