Adam Sandler’s first Disney film is a very safe family comedy that only occasionally hits your funny bone. While Sandler has returned to his nice guy roots - playing the role of a sweet bedtime story reading uncle - his character ultimately feels like a retread of all the nice guys from prior Happy Madison productions. The director goes for the easy laughs - including an overused computer animated guinea pig - which should appeal to a younger audience but may eventually bore adults.
Jonathan Brosnan used to run a small motel, called “The Sunny Vista” with the assistance of his young children, Skeeter and Wendy. The elder Brosnan ran into money problems and had to sell the motel, but with the stipulation that his son Skeeter would always have a job there. Years later, Skeeter (Sandler) works as the janitor/repairman for the resort hotel built on the grounds of the original motel. Skeeter hopes to one day take over managing the hotel, which appears to be only a pipe dream. His sister (Courtney Cox; TV’s “Friends”) has fallen on hard times as well and turns to her brother to help watch her two children in the evenings. Skeeter tells the children bedtime stories, totally out of his own imagination, with their occasional assistance. When elements of the fantastical stories start appearing in his everyday life, Skeeter tries to take control of the tall tales and shape his destiny.
Sandler is more relatable when he plays the goofy everyman than the lethario, as seen in his other 2008 film “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan”. “Zohan” was rude and the storyline was risky but greater laughs were found taking these chances. The story eventually became ridiculous in “Zohan“, while “Bedtime Stories” manages to remain believable despite the magical undertones. The made up stories told by Skeeter take place in ancient Rome, the wild west or the far future. When incidents in the stories actually happen in Skeeter’s real life - like when gum balls rain down on his head - they have a real world logical explanation. At first these explanations are brilliantly interwoven into what’s going on in Skeeter’s life but the last few incidents were a stretch of the audience‘s imagination.
The children play a relatively minor role in the overall plot, interacting with their uncle mostly during story time. There is a romantic angle to the movie but it isn’t emphasized as much as Skeeter’s attempt to wrest control of the hotel from a privileged jerk (Guy Pearce; “Traitor”) who‘s dating the owner‘s daughter. There are some endearing moments between Sandler and the children, but nothing is dwelled upon long in “Bedtime Stories”. The story speeds along too quickly, with no time to grow attached to the characters or their dilemmas. I would have liked to see Cox play a larger role in the finished film - instead her appearance is more of a cameo. Overall, “Bedtime Stories” is a children’s fable that is much too breezy to leave a lasting impact.
Rated PG for some mild rude humor and mild language.
