When I was at UC Davis we had a quarterly publication that published what was deemed the best student poetry and prose writing, and I was on the board of analysts for a couple years that read and discussed all of the incoming prose entries and then collectively decided which ones to publish. That was almost seven years ago now, but to this day I remember the best prose entry that I read in the two years that I was on the board. It was a short and really unspectacular entry with very little in the way of a story, but it had some interesting characters, one of which was the author. She had directly inserted herself into her own story, with the power to make anything happen that she wanted, kind of like that giant pencil and eraser that would come on screen on those old cartoons and erase and re-draw characters. Remember those?
For some reason, I was alone in my affection for this story, but the thing that I really loved about it was that it was a perfect example of the fact that when you are in charge of telling a story, you can make anything happen that you want. There are times when there is no reason to limit yourself to the boundaries of fiction but can instead veer wildly into the realm of pure fantasy in the interest of telling a good story. And with all of the stories we were reading that were packed with simplistic stories and bonehead clichés, a story that was overflowing with creativity was a breath of fresh air.
Bedtime Stories is kind of like that story. It is a celebration of the ancient art of story-telling, and Adam Sandler uses his unique brand of comedy to give us a unique take on the old art, in a surprisingly light-hearted and entertaining comedy. Sandler plays the charmingly named Skeeter Bronson, son of Marty, a family man who owned a charming little motel “at the corner of Sunset and La Cienega” in Los Angeles. That location is an inside joke that will most likely be lost on all except LA locals, although it will also help understand why Marty is ultimately forced to sell his hotel to the ruthlessly ambitious Richard Nottingham (another great name).
Marty passes away and Nottingham takes over, and Skeeter, probably due in no small part to the ridiculousness of his first name, is demoted not to janitor but to resident light-bulb replacement guy. When a super-fancy new hotel is planned, Skeeter’s ears perk up at the opportunity to finally move into a management position, until the job is summarily offered to Kendall (Guy Pearce), a campy management rival that reminds me of the battle between John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott in The Promotion, except goofier. Remember the way Lieutenant Harris and Mauser were always epic ass-kissers in the Police Academy movies? That’s this guy.
A series of events leads to Skeeter in a situation where his nightly bedtime stories to his niece and nephew show a tendency of coming true, which he uses to his advantage when offered the opportunity to compete with Kendall for the management position depending on who can come up with the best theme for the new hotel.
Sandler gives a much more subdued performance than he has come to be known for, although this is to be expected since this is a Disney production. But he doesn’t dumb himself down (this would be a feat for the star of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore), and I think he will satisfy even his oldest fans. Personally, I first noticed Sandler when I bought his viciously profane audio-cassette tape “They’re All Gonna Laugh At You.” Have you heard that thing? The toilet humor is brilliant but WOW the profanity! This was LONG before the Channukah songs. If you’re interested in an example, look up a song called “At a Medium Pace” and you’ll see how much he’s changed. Incidentally, the now 42-year-old Sandler recently said this about Bedtime Stories, “I wanted to make a movie that my kids could watch someday and actually look me in the eye afterwards.” He’s definitely done it!
(spoilers)
Gumballs do, in fact, rain from the sky in this movie. And they make you believe it can really happen!
The ending, however, is a bit of a problem. You see, an elementary school is in danger of being demolished to make way for a new high-rise hotel (a charming residential area is a strange place for a high rise hotel, but no matter), and it becomes a race against time before a lot of friendly teachers lose their jobs and a lot of children lose their school. Skeeter’s niece and nephew become heroes when Skeeter narrowly (and spectacularly) saves the school from destruction, although thankfully the movie ends before every bully in the county is notified about what has transpired and the playground carnage begins. I can’t wait for the sequel!
Nevertheless, this is a light-hearted and fun comedy that is a lot more accessible for younger audiences than the typical Sandler film, even the ones with kids in the cast (like Big Daddy, which is similar in a lot of ways). I feel weird saying that an Adam Sandler is good for the whole family, but for all of my love of violent action movies and horror movies and crude, tasteless humor, I also believe in the effect of a good bedtime story, especially for the kids, and Bedtime Stories reminds us of how important they are to the little ones and how powerful an effect they have on their lives. If ever you wanted to see a movie that could put you in the mind of a kid and make you understand something through their eyes, Bedtime Stories is it. Highly recommended!
4.5 Beans out of 5.
I don’t know about you but I love Disney’s 1986 ‘Flight of the Navigator.’ A film about a boy getting abducted my friendly alien spacecraft. Although the movie was scrutinized and labeled an absolute disaster, I have watch the movie numerous times and will continue to watch it.
