HTF DVD REVIEW: Bedtime Stories: Deluxe Edition (1 Viewer)

The Film

Adam Sandler in a Disney movie? Yes, and he’s surprisingly good as the underachieving uncle who charms children and adults alike with his shambling good spirits and unassuming ways. Reminiscent of a fantasy that Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam might concoct for the screen without the dark underpinnings, Bedtime Stories has many delightful moments. It resorts to some flat, unworthy slapstick on occasion, and its characters are unchallengingly simplistic, but the best of the film’s flights of imagination make it a charming, entertaining comedy for children and adults.

Hotel handyman Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is coerced by his sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) to spend a week babysitting her two young children (Jonathan Morgan Heit, Laura Ann Kesling) while she’s away on a job interview. The trio of fun loving sprites spend fun evenings concocting imaginative bedtime stories that place Skeeter in heroic roles in tales ranging from medieval knights to the Old West, from ancient Greece to outer space. All of the stories revolve out Skeeter’s acrimonious relationship with his employer (Richard Griffiths) who had promised Skeeter’s father (Jonathan Pryce) that Skeeter would one day be given a chance of managing the hotel that Skeeter’s father had created originally but had instead been given over to sleazy nogoodnick Kendall (Guy Pearce). Oddly, events that happen in the children’s variations on Skeeter’s stories begin to come true in unexpected ways giving Skeeter hope that he can maneuver a story out of the children where he actually wins back control of the hotel.

The film’s primary entertainment value lies in the silly but enjoyable heroic tales the trio concoct for Skeeter to experience some momentary triumphs. Each has its own identity and variable roles for each of the film’s principals to play a part in, a simple variation on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty or Dream Girl, both 1940s films with similar but slightly more sophisticated fantasizing. Adam Shankman directs with a light touch except when he gives in to his leading man’s tendencies to excess and sophomoric humor. Yes, even in this Disney comedy, there have to be some fart, booger, and ass jokes. There’s also a saucer-eyed guinea pig character Bugsy who’s part real and part CGI. He wears out his welcome long before the end of the film, but children will no doubt adore him.

Adam Sandler’s ingratiating way with children isn’t really a surprise given the tender moments he showed us as far back as Big Daddy, but he’s an effective man-child in this kind of movie, and given this film’s success at the box-office, we’re likely to see him in more of these family-oriented films. Keri Russell makes a fetching love interest for Sandler, especially since his boss’s daughter played by Teresa Palmer is initially set up as his heart’s desire. Guy Pearce does the nefarious weasel bit with his eyes closed while Russell Brand as room service waiter Mickey adds some sparkle and fun to the fantasies, especially as a satyr in the Greek segment. As for the two children, they get the job done though Laura Ann Kesling tends to smile at inappropriate moments unable to hide the obvious good time she’s having working on such playful material. Their seeming enjoyment is often contagious in a film that works hard to charm and often succeeds.

Video Quality

The film’s 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio is presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer. The sharpness on the disc is good but not as commanding as it is on other DVD transfers, fine object detail being somewhat lacking on occasion. Colors are warm-looking, accurate, and appealing, and flesh tones are lifelike. Despite the film’s title, most of the action takes place during daylight hours, though when blacks are a part of the image, the levels are fine. The film has been divided into 20 chapters.

Audio Quality

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track makes good use of the soundfield for Rupert Gregson-Williams’ lively background score. The surrounds also come alive during the fantasy sequences, particularly the ones set in Greece and outer space where contests with screaming crowds and action dominate. Elsewhere, though, the surround channels revert to more front centric activity with not much use of the rear channels. The LFE channel is used to good but not great effect.

Special Features

The special features selection is surprisingly sparse for such a popular family film. The bonuses are all presented in anamorphic widescreen.

“Until Gravity Do Us Part” gives us 4 minutes of behind-the-scenes glimpses at the filming of the sci-fi fantasy sequence with Adam Sandler and Guy Pearce (and their stunt doubles) on wires as moves are choreographed and shot.

“To All the Little People” interviews child actors Laura Ann Kesling and Jonathan Morgan Heit as they discuss their typical days of filming on the movie. Adam Sandler, director Adam Shankman, Keri Russell, and Courtney Cox all give testimony to the children’s talent and professionalism . It runs for 5 ½ minutes.

“It’s Bugsy” is a brief 3 ¾-minute tribute to the film’s cuddly guinea pig character (played by three different live animals and aided by computer graphics).

There are 6 ¾ minutes of bloopers and outtakes.

There are twelve deleted scenes which can be viewed individually or watched in one 10 ½-minute clump.

“Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-ray Is Suite” is a 6-minute promotion for families who haven’t already done so to move to Blu-ray using twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse from the Disney Channel. They extol the virtues of the format and explain its ease of installation while also mentioning some of the bonus games and BD-Live which are only available on Blu-ray versions of various Disney titles.

There are previews for Morning Light, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, G-Force, and Monsters, Inc., among others.

The Deluxe Edition also includes DisneyFile: the digital copy of the movie. Contained in the case is a brochure with the activation code and instructions for installation on PC and Mac devices.

In Conclusion

A family comedy with some delightfully imaginative moments amid some rather routine, tired slapstick, Bedtime Stories features a fine video transfer, a good audio mix, but only a moderate selection of bonus material. There’s enough entertainment value in the film itself, though, to delight most members of the family.


Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC