Adam Sandler’s juvenile comedy shtick is certainly not for everyone. After years of starring in various PG-13 comedies, he has gained a large fanbase. So on paper, when you see that Sandler is starring in a PG-rated family comedy you would think that would be the perfect fit for him. Kids will certainly appreciate his sense of humor, since many people think Sandler is immature. But even though things look good on paper, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Bedtime Stories will be that good.
In Stories, Skeeter (Adam Sandler), a hotel maintenance man, is left to care for his nephew and niece (Jonathan Morgan Heit and Laura Ann Kesling) while his sister (Courtney Cox) is away on a job hunt. He finds he has little in common with the kids, and even less with fellow caretaker Jill (Keri Russell). Enticing the children with wild bedtime stories, Skeeter dreams up faraway lands of enchantment where his make-believe surrogate enjoys the spoils of war. However, the children keep their uncle grounded by including punishments and failure for Skeeter and his massive imagination. When the bedtime story embellishments start to show up in the real world, Skeeter finds he’s unlocked a gold mine, trying to convince the kids to help him with money, women, and a chance to snatch a promotion away from his hotel workplace rival Kendall (Guy Pearce).
The premise of this film is not really that original. There are elements of other family films like Night at the Museum or Jumanji. In fact, the ending and subplots that come before it are pretty predictable as well. As far as the comedy goes, though, kids under the age of 13 will certainly love this film. Mainly due to the fact that there are some great fantasy environment set pieces. But also the main laughs in this film are simply toilet humor or general slapstick wackiness. This will certainly appeal to younger kids. For their parents, though, not so much.
It doesn’t help that the acting is not that good in this film either. First, Sandler is playing a horrible character. We are supposed to root for Skeeter to succeed in this fairy-tale like story. But Skeeter is completely unlikable. About the only actor that seems to be trying is Keri Russell. Unfortunately, her romance subplot with Sandler’s character just seems forced. They hardly have any chemistry together on screen. Courtney Cox and Russell Brand don’t help either. It is nice to see Guy Pearce in a different role, but he is not that great of a villain either. It’s really sad when a CGI-assisted guinea pig is perhaps the best part of a film. Although, you have to give credit for the two young co-stars, Jonathan Morgan Heit and Laura Ann Kesling, for doing what they can to at least make Bedtime Stories appeal to kids.
Adam Sandler certainly had to tone down his shtick for kids, which means that hardcord Sandler fans without kids, probably won’t enjoy this film much. Neither will non-Sandler fan parents who take their kids to see this film. However, their kids will certainly enjoy and be entertained by this film. It’s a fast moving film, so it’s not completely unwatchable. If you want to see Sandler, and his toned down comedy act, run wild in western, outer space, gladiatorial, and medieval settings, this might appeal to you. Bedtime Stories will never be considered the best family film or Adam Sandler film ever, but it’s definitely not the worst. It’s certainly below average, but kids will love it so that is all it really needs to be. Too bad it couldn’t be more, though.
This set contains both the Blu-ray and standard DVD version of this film. The video on the Blu-ray disc is presented in 1080p/AVC at the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen color ratio, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs of course. This transfer is fantasic. Everything looks crystal clear and the colors are vibrant and rich and true to the theatrical version of this film. The video for the standard definition DVD is presented in anamorphic widescreen color at the 2.35:1 ratio as well. This transfer is great and above-average for other new release DVDs out there. There is really not much difference between either version to the average eye, but the Blu-ray version does have more of a 3D effect than the standard version. No major video problems on either disc, though.
The audio included on the Blu-ray disc is available in either English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Surround sound, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, or French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French as well. The audio included on the standard DVD is available in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, or French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French as well. Both discs feature dialogue and music that come out loud and clear. As expected, the Blu-ray disc sounds a little better than the standard definition DVD, but there is really not much difference between the two versions. No major problems on either disc here either.
Blu-Ray Exclusives
The first “exclusive” for this Blu-ray release of Bedtime Stories is that both the standard DVD and the Blu-ray Disc are included, as is a digital copy. The only other Blu-ray exclusive that Disney wants you to believe is BD-Live, which Disney is trying to promote as a way to connect with family and friends.
Extras Found on the Standard Edition As Well…
“Until Gravity Do Us Part” Featurette –
This runs 4 minutes and it takes us behind the scenes of the outer space sequence involving wire stunts and lots of blue screen. Interesting, if you want to know more about that.
“To All the Little People” Featurette –
This runs 5 1/2 minutes and it focuses mostly on the film’s child stars, Jonathan Morgan Heit and Laura Ann Kesling, who get to talk about their experiences with making this film.
“It’s Bugsy” Featurette –
This runs 3 1/2 minutes and it’s all about CG-aided guinea pig, as the cast talk about all the animals that played him. Just more about the real “star” of this film
“Laughter is Contagious” Outtakes –
This is 7 minutes worth of outtakes from the film. These are actually a little more entertaining than the usual outtakes, mainly due to the fact that Adam Sandler is just as crazy off screen as he is on screen. Worth checking out for sure.
“Cutting Room Floor” Deleted Scenes –
There are 12 scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the film, and they total 11 minutes. Included here are some unused bits of random humor including more from the Medieval and space settings, a cameo by director Adam Shankman, and an extended cut of Guy Pearce’s Broadway musical theme proposal performance. Not must-watch or anything, but some of this is funny.
“Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-ray is Suite!” Promotion –
This is basically a 6 minute promotional piece featuring the stars of a Disney TV show, Suite Life of Zack & Cody. If you didn’t know, Dylan & Cole Sprouse also co-starred with Adam Sandler in a previous film, Big Daddy. This time they are joined by their TV mom, Kim Rhodes, as they give us a quick rundown of what makes the high-definition format so superior to DVD. Just them really try to sell Blu-ray to everyone. It might just work for the kids too.
Bedtime Stories will be entertaining for the kids, so it’s worth a rental for a “family movie night”. Adam Sandler fans probably won’t like this film too much, due to it not being as funny as previous Sandler films.
As for which version to buy or rent, well this Blu-ray does cost about $5-10 more, but you do get the Blu-ray version, a standard DVD version, and digital copy version of the film. There really is no difference between the Blu-ray and standard DVD versions of this film, though, except for slightly improved visuals and audio. Stick with the standard definition DVD.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents Bedtime Stories. Directed by Adam Shankman. Starring Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Laura Ann Kesling, Russell Brand, and Lucy Lawless. Written by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy. Running time: 99 minutes. Rated PG. Released on DVD: April 5, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
