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Bedtime Stories (2008)

Director: Adam Shankman

Time Out rating

Average user rating

47 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Audiences know what they’re getting with the annual Big Disney Christmas Movie: heroic kids, evil adults, and a bumbling hero caught somewhere in between. This year’s chump is Adam Sandler, essaying his usual bipolar man-child schtick as Skeeter Bronson, the handyman at a grand hotel built on the site of the Mom ’n’ Pop motel where he grew up, who is nonplussed when the tales he concocts for his niece and nephew begin to have eerie parallels in real life.

‘Bedtime Stories’ starts well, with Sandler’s naturally acerbic persona and wilfully erratic turns from Guy Pearce and Russell Brand serving to offset the script’s more schmaltzy moments. But it descends into pathos, undermined by an insipid romantic subplot and the usual platitudinous guff about self-belief. Insult is added to injury by a series of reactionary, misinformed anti-eco gags and a distressing but inevitable cameo from Rob Schneider as a Native American.

Author: Tom Huddleston 2008-12-16 11:41:13

Time Out London Issue 2000/2001, Dec 18-31, 2008

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User reviews of this film

Roy said...

Posted on Jan 30 2009 14:33 weak predictable and withan extremely poor performance from Brand who's so painfully unfunny to watch in this I'll be missigneverything else he's in from here on out. Inkheart for all it's flawrs is a better treatment of a similar idea

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Forest Line Reviews said...

Posted on Jan 22 2009 16:32 This movie combines a fairy tale, a romanceand a child-friendly comedy all intyo one great ball of fun. Fun for the whole family. Forest Line Reviews Must-See

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Russell said...

Posted on Jan 22 2009 09:05 It's a funny film, Sandler and Brand do the child safe version of their schtick, so it's unsubtle and a little crude... but it's a funny film.

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timothy said...

Posted on Jan 21 2009 12:26 this filmis ablsoulty crap dont go and weatch it well waste of money and time its so cheesy and everyone was taclking thorughout as it was completely boring !!!!!!!!1

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Faith+shez said...

Posted on Jan 21 2009 12:25 its was amazingg seen it 9 times now!! brilliat, superb, unbelievable , outstanding wouldnt like to see it again ;)

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Faith+shez said...

Posted on Jan 21 2009 12:25 its was amazingg seen it 9 times now!! brilliat, superb, unbelievable , outstanding wouldnt like to see it again ;)

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L said...

Posted on Jan 17 2009 19:23 ALRIGHT! GO WATCH IT SEE WHAT YOU THINK

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L said...

Posted on Jan 17 2009 19:21 ALRITE WATCH IT SEE WHAT U THINK

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laura said...

Posted on Jan 17 2009 18:54 I am watching the movie with my friends on sunday 18th of january in the cinema and it sounds absolutely great love laura
xxx

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girl. said...

Posted on Jan 16 2009 16:45 coolest movie ever

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girl. said...

Posted on Jan 16 2009 16:44 coolest movie ever !

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Hemingway said...

Posted on Jan 15 2009 19:13 B-O-R-I-N-G
Don't listen to the mavericks who claim this movie is good. They're probably the kind who would rave about Ed Wood or Uwe Boll!!!!
My best friend and I love to laugh - and tihs is the FIRST movie where there's NONE to have!! For salvaging a little (and thats a very precious little) for your 10 bucks , you might want to snicker a bit whenever they show the hamster..but the director seemed to know he was making a ho-hum..and throws in the hamster every few minutes which makes even THAT seem dull after a few minutes!!
You wont laugh, you wont cry, you wont feel ANYTHING watching this dull and insipid excuse for a motion picture.
Stay away !!!

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Megz said...

Posted on Jan 14 2009 18:07 This film is not good - very boring and not at all magical. It definitely doesn't give you the 'feel good' factor like films such as Enchanted. Another thing - I check out this website to see people's film reviews - I wish people who ARE GOING to see the film would stop cluttering it up with messages to tell us so - who cares???!!!

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goggy said...

Posted on Jan 11 2009 07:17 I thought it was a very funny movie and is suted for all ages
love the way they made it into a fairy tale but not like enchantedi loved it and so have all the people i know who have as well.

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Pasta said...

Posted on Jan 10 2009 15:47 I watched Inkheart before Bedtime Stories, and was really impressed. However, when I went to watch Bedtime Stories it wasn't my cup of tea. The cinema was packed with teenagers, children and families. It started off really well, with Skeeter looking after his nephew and niece, but as it gradually progressed I started to get bored. The only good thing about this Bedtime Stories was the cute little guinea pig called Bugsy. If I were you I'd see Inkheart rather than this.

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