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Movies / On DVD / Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories

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Bedtime Stories (2008)

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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.

Australian Rating: TBC

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Australian Theatrical Release:
Dec 26, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $109,993,847

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

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Bedtime Stories

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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If you like Adam Sandler's loud and bawdy style (or lack of it), you will warm to this lively and undemanding fable that reminds us we are limited only by our imagination

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
12/19/08
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
08/19/09
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

A family-friendly Adam Sandler movie that, even with its strained plot developments, is tame without being lame.

Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | comment Comment
08/14/09
Mike Scott
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune

If you are forced to attend, then at least Bedtime Stories is tolerable, and occasionally fun -- when it forgets to be dumb.

Full Review Source: SFX Magazine | comment Comment
05/27/09
Andrew Osmond
Andrew Osmond
SFX Magazine

...ultimately comes off as the most entertaining Adam Sandler comedy to hit theaters since 2004's 50 First Dates...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
05/01/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Betsy Sherman
Betsy Sherman
Boston Phoenix

Enjoyable, silly and a wee bit whimsical. It's also treacherously predictable at times, the two leads lack chemistry and it has the token horrible Rob Schneider cameo.

Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
04/19/09
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views

The real charm of Bedtime Stories is how it works as a family film.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
04/18/09
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Given that Sandler's main appeal has always been to the 12-year-old in all of us, it probably makes sense for him to aim his movies directly at that age group.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/06/09
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

A big step backward for director Adam Shankman ('Hairspray').

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
04/06/09
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
02/27/09
Chris Bumbray
Chris Bumbray
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Bedtime Stories lacks the required thrills, imagination, comedy and drama required to be a truly entertaining family film.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
01/31/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

Guy Pearce abraça o embaraço com toda a vontade, mas nem isso salva esta porcaria constrangedoramente mal escrita, atuada e dirigida do fracasso. Um filme de Adam Sandler para crianças: alguém alerte a UNICEF.

comment Comment
01/27/09
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

A potentially interesting movie that comes crashing down as hard as that proverbial beanstalk.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
01/14/09
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

I've seen better special effects in Troma releases...

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/07/09
Michael Ferraro
Michael Ferraro
Film Threat

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.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/05/09
Kat Brown
Kat Brown
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It descends into pathos, undermined by an insipid romantic subplot and the usual platitudinous guff about self-belief.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/05/09
Tom Huddlestone
Tom Huddlestone
Time Out

Appalling, hypocritical and dull. Imagine not watching this movie, then make that wish come true.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 3 Comments
01/05/09
Jim Hall
Jim Hall
Channel 4 Film

It’s a pleasing concept, and Sandler is at his least obnoxious, but surely Adam Shankman’s family comedy could have been wittier.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
01/05/09
Edward Porter
Edward Porter
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's a surface liveliness to the movie, but it has that plasticky Disney quality and lack of real heart.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
01/05/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Bedtime Stories

April 06, 2009: RT on DVD: Bedtime Stories, Yes Man, Doubt Hit Shelves
This week's new releases include a few Hollywood takes on science fiction (Fox's remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still; the 1984 sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact on... More...

December 28, 2008: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Marley Takes #1, The Spirit Tanks
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: Critics Consensus: Benjamin Button Rewards the Curious; It's Bedtime for Bedtime Stories
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. Opens in new window
More...

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