  
Bedtime Storiesa.k.a. “Gerçek masallar,” “Histoires enchantées”MPAA Rating:
 for some mild rude humor and mild language.Reviewed by: Sheri McMurray Better than Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Kids, Teens, Family, Adults
Genre:
Fantasy, Comedy, Family
Length:
1 hr. 35 min.
Year of Release:
2008
USA Release:
December 25, 2008 (wide—3,500 theaters)
DVD: April 4, 2009  
Relevant Issues
“What if the stories you told came to life?” I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive going into this movie, although it is a Disney film and I enjoy Adam Sandler. Sandler always delivers the laughs, but his films usually start out with some pretty over the top humor and offensive site gags, yet end up on a pleasant note. It was the off color humor I was worried I would be subjected to. I am very happy to say it was a sweet, funny (in a kid’s potty humor sort of way), exciting, magical fun ride all the way through! A perfect, holiday family movie and I, as a Christian Mom, would take my family to see it without worry as to whether I need to cover my kid’s eyes and ears during certain scenes. A PG rated Sandler film which is a joy to watch. As the title refers, “Bedtime Stories” is just that. A set of bedtime stories spun by a wayward handyman employed at a major Hotel chain, who over the course of a week has to babysit his sister’s two children while she looks for work out of town. During that week some pretty unexplainable things happen as each bedtime story transforms from nightly fairy tale into daily real life events. Sounds pretty much predictable, and because it is a Disney family film, on a certain level it is. But Skeeter Bronson (a delightful character crafted by Adam Sandler) wins your heart from his first joke to the last kiss. “Bedtime Stories” is such fun that I won’t spoil the review by recapping every bedtime tale Skeeter spins with the details. I say, just take the family and prepare yourselves for belly laughs, the mirth surrounding a hamster named Bugsie who is the running site gag throughout the film, and bask in the wonder factor which Disney always provides with one hundred per cent perfection. There are some familiar faces here: Keri Russell as Jill, the level headed love interest which contrasts affectionately against Skeeter’s off the wall attitude. Guy Pearce as Kendall, the baboonish yet endearing bad guy after the big prize of running a mega hotel chain. That mega enterprise is headed by Richard Griffiths as Mr. Nottingham, a Howard Hughs type of Hotel tycoon who has a phobia about germs. Courtney Cox plays Skeeter’s older sister, Wendy, who has just lost her job as school principal and must go to Arizona for a week to search for a new job. Jonathan Pryce is cast perfectly as Skeeter’s Dad and narrator of the film. These are the major players, but I must mention the performances by the children in this movie is what captured my heart. Laura Ann Kesling as Bobbi, Skeeter’s niece, is adorable. Jonathan Morgan Holt as her brother Patrick has that off beat speech pattern that every Mom finds endearing. These kids are fine little actors and the movie shines because of them. Russell Brand, who plays Mickey, Skeeter’s best friend, is a crack up. His humor is delivered with just the right nuance to capture the child that lives pent-up within every adult. There are a few instances within the context of this film that may be objectionable depending on a family’s humor meter. There are scenes where passing wind is referred to. The character of Mr. Nottingham’s daughter, Violet (played as a Paris Hilton-esque paparazzi ducking beauty by Teresa Palmer) is subtlety referred to as a party-girl who gets around. A reference that will go over the heads of most kids, but older tweens and teens will get the reference. The character of Wendy is divorced and the kids ask a few times if their Daddy is ever coming back. Although not a big deal in the context of the film, some children may find this disturbing. One made up villain in Skeeter’s bedtime stories is named “Buttkiss” because he goes around “kissing everyone’s butt.” I felt that would be objectionable to parents, not just for the designation of the name, but because it says it’s ok to show disrespect by using that in particular offensive name. There are a couple of kisses that are brief and, of course the mild mannered Skeeter gets to kiss Jill in the end, which is done in a playful manner. To it’s credit, “Bedtime Stories” has not one cuss word in it’s script. On the flip side, “Bedtime Stories” reaches deep into the biblical sense of “do unto others,” and loving and respecting your fellow man in a gentle, subtle heartwarming way, that shows renewed hope that films such as these can take off once again in Hollywood. The children were allowed to be children and not run around like little miniature adults cussing and being disrespectful of others. Skeeter was allowed to be a loving man and his wisdom was taken as fact and a gentle strength, not boo hoo’d as a weakness. The moral lessons of treating the one’s you love with kindness and compassion, giving much for a friend, sacrificial love, and doing what is right in a situation even though it might mean hurt on your part was a refreshing change in direction for children’s film. It not only shows these afore mentioned qualities in a positive tone, but also does a good job of showing the negative consequences when we act out of greed, selfishness and pride. As true of a Disney film, the cliché “don’t stop believing” and that your fun is only limited to your imagination, was stamped all over it, but deeper still was the message that you CAN have a happy ending in life. I prefer to think that we must all take it a step further and put Jesus Christ back in our lives. He needs to be in the picture to make our lives complete. Children need to know, it might not be enough to be good to one another, and do the right thing, or even just to be a good person, but to have a clear roadmap in life which can only be found in the pages of Scripture. The guidance of God’s pristine Word, is the only path to true happiness and a fulfilling happily ever after. Everyone in the theater was laughing and cheering throughout “Bedtime Stories.” This film got much deserved applause at it’s conclusion. I was delighted that “Bedtime Stories” was a good-natured, up-beat story with many important morals being put forth for kids. We are so in need of kid’s fare these days which highlight the good in people and the rewards of doing the right thing by our fellow man. Not to mention that as I was growing up, watching a Disney film ALWAYS meant we would be taught life lessons and morals to live by as adults. This concept is so lacking in our modern times and to see it held high, as well, as hear the giggles and cheers from the kids in the audience around me, gave me hope that God’s moral compass is alive and well within the context of Disney films still. Violence: Minor / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.   Comments below:
Positive
Positive - I just saw this movie with my parents and loved it. I think that everyone loves a good bedtime story—and they are even more fun when they come to life! It had good, clean humour, and I laughed several times (I rarely laugh at movies, so this is saying a lot). There were some brief scenes of women wearing low-cut tops, but there was really very little about which to be offended. I really appreciated how there was no swearing and no sex. It piqued my imagination and was really uplifting, light—truly a beautiful story. At the end, several children in the theatre clapped. That rarely happens, so it attests to the film's narrative quality and its appeal to all who are young at heart and who enjoy stories and telling them. Highly recommended! I think it's the best film out in theatres now (along with Despereaux). Positive - We just went and saw “Bedtime Stories” at the movie theater. I found this movie to be funny and entertaining. My children ages 7, 5, and 10 also loved it. They left arguing over which part was their favorite, but I think that my 5-year-old said it best, “I just liked it all.” I recommend this as a wonderful family movie. Positive - …I loved this movie. …I went to the theater thinking that there wouldn't be any cursing. I tried to count, but I'm not too sure on this number: I think there was about 3 “Oh my G**.” Other than that, there wasn't any language. I'd recommend it, except the cursing. Positive - Highly Recommend! If you're looking for a great family film with NOTHING offensive—no cursing, no sex, no racy themes, nor celebration of sin—then “Bedtime Stories” is for you! We went on Christmas Day. The theater was alive with laughter, and our entire family enjoyed it! Very creative story! The guinea pig “Bugsy” steals the show. As a Christian homeschooling parent, I'm very careful about recommending films to others. This one gets an “A.” Great for all ages! Positive - Incredible movie! Highly recommended. I was not looking forward to seeing this movie. I actually told people I didn't want to go and see. Then some friends of mine talked me into it, and I ended up loving it. I would recommend it to anyone. This is a movie I would pay to go and watch again. Positive - While predictable, this was a wonderful family film that kept adults and children entertained. My 7 year old understood the message of “all deserve respect.” Adam Sandler's character was especially touching when he told the children that their absent dad must have something wrong with him to not want to spend every waking hour with them. Positive - I fell in love with this movie the moment it started! I was honestly surprised, with it being an Adam S. movie, there wasn't any sex! There were some Oh my G**s, but other than that it was wonderful! I recommend it 100%! Positive - We just went to see this movie with our kids ages 8, 11, 14, and 17. They all loved the movie, and we did, too! It was fun family entertainment, and I didn't really see anything majorly offensive. The were a couple bikini scenes, but other than that, the movie was clean and entertaining. This was just a fun movie that you can feel good taking your kids to see. Positive - I saw this movie with my husband and 10 yr. old daughter and 10 yr. old neighbor. I was pleased that it was a good clean movie without any swear words and people doing the hanky panky while unmarried. While Adam Sandler does fantasize about a nice looking girl, he soon realizes that it's not her he wants/needs its the girl right next to him. I loved that it had a happy ending, it was funny, the kids made us laugh. And the moral that money can't buy happiness was so true. The bad man didn't triumph and in the end, a small job the simple things in life like roasting marshmallows (fun things the mom wouldn't let the kids do) can make a person more happy than money. It's the time we spend with our families and although Adam's character was somewhat offensive to others, he was a true kindhearted man and would do anything for anyone. Positive - …we really liked this movie; there was suspense and the fact there was action from beginning to the end was great. The single guy in the story was rude, at times, because of thinking about himself, and this is realistic in most of the acting performed. It's a good eye opener for the single guy out there—lol. And it was great to see the children sharing their imagination on the stories, without having any personal interest or judgment. The ending was great. It was a refresher for us, because, seriously, it's been a while since we found a good, funny movie we where able to watch to the end and enjoy it!… Clean movie. Praise God. Positive - I was a bit hesitant to attend a movie with Adam Sandler in it, however, based on the reviews of this Web site me and my two stepsons saw it. I was pleasantly surprised (and thankful) for a mostly non-existent immoral innuendos (except to contrast good ones) of any kind and a pleasant story line. While its not the best made movie, it was clean and funny. All of us enjoyed it, which is hard to do since my oldest is still working out his Christianity and tends to lean towards darker or offensive humor (“50 First Dates”) kinds of movies. Positive - My husband and I are very cautious about what we let our children watch, and previewed this and talked to our children before we decided to let them see it. Adam Sandler movies are often filled with innuendos and cussing. I was pleasantly surprised, though. Bedtime Stories is the only one of his we have granted our children (9-12) permission to see, and I'm so grateful Sandler took the initiative to make a movie like this. Positive - This is an entertaining thriller, with some interesting twists to the plot. Russell Crowe is very convincing as a newspaper reporter who pursues facts with dogged determination. Sadly, I could not help but think this kind of reporting is almost a thing of the past, as we watch newspapers folding all around the country, or at least, cutting back. Other performances were pretty good, but this is not a strong movie. There were many yawns audible in my theater. I thought the conclusion was a bit lame. But definitely nice two hours of escapism. Neutral
Neutral - I was hoping for more out of this movie. It had some places where I felt they were out of line. I would never encourage a six year old to kiss, show women in bikinis, or make a film without a single healthy relationship. It did have some very funny moments, but after a few days of seeing the movie, I can only remember the reasons I didn't like it. I much preferred “Meet the Robinsons” for a young children's movie and “College Road Trip” for the older kids. Disney can do a better job than this latest flick. Neutral - I love how so many Christian families have set the standard for movies so high these days, that no piece of entertainment can fulfill their desires. Pardon my sarcasm, but I think that many of the negative reviews of this film are over the top. I myself, like the main reviewer, thought that I was just going to see another Sandler movie with his typical sleaze—just turned down to a milder setting. Happily, I was proven wrong. Neutral - This movie had some funny moments and a lot of rude moments, but mostly it seems disjointed. The director is not good, sometimes the movie seemed like it was thrown together. Adam Sandler is very talented, but the director is not. This comment is not about the movie, but about safety issues glossed over in sloppy filmmaking. There is one scene where Sandler's character Skeeter makes a sandwich with toothpaste, it turns out eating flouride toothpaste instead of spitting it out can be dangerous. So caution to parents. Neutral - I must admit that Adam Sandler is a very funny guy--though I have to mute up to 98% of what he says, he just has a natural charm. And because I know him to be crude, it seemed strange when he never said anything crass in this movie. That is, of course, good, but it felt awkward along with the rest of the film. It is a good premise, but it fails to follow through. Negative
Negative - I went to see this movie today with my 6 year old, after checking several Christian reviews—knowing it was PG. I was disappointed that no one mentioned that Adam Sandler is his usual rude, disrespectful self. I felt it was unnecessary for him to make the character Skeeter rude and obnoxious, just to make him “cool.” I feel that it's sad that, in general, our society equates sassy with cool, and I'm desperately trying to help my child understand that you can be kind to other people and still be “cool.” I agree that it was pleasing that there was no foul language and a decent message, but I would not recommend this to children under 8. Let's try to maintain innocence, respect and good manners. Negative - Reading various reviews of this movie led me to believe that there were only a few relatively innocuous moments with some humor about gas and maybe a few light kisses. I have to say that for a “family” movie, that there is a lot more inappropriate content (inappropriate attire, innuendo, cleavage, comments about weight, etc.) than I had expected. While I know Disney movies are no longer the paragon of pure entertainment that they were in the days of yore, I had seen some marked improvement in recent flicks, and I had hoped that this would be as innocent as the TV previews seemed to indicate. Negative - My wife and I visit this site weekly and sometimes daily as guidance to filter movies before we view them. We have two children both 11 years old, and we all have a very close relationship with Christ. We were very uncomfortable seeing this movie, and more so disappointed that the reviewer of this movie truly let us down. If you are seriously trying to walk the Christian walk, and refuse to let sinful trickery into your family household, do not see this movie or support yet another Disney attempt of watering down good morals. Negative - Apparently taking God's name in vain is not offensive to A LOT of Christians today, they just overlook it. Does God over look it? Exodus 20:7-You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for THE LORD will NOT leave him UNPUNISHED who takes His name in vain. Just because by societies stand point they say there wasn't a cussword in the script… I beg to differ, God's name is Holy and if “Christians” do not take offense to this then Hollywood WILL keep saying things to this nature in movies. Consider this “Christian,” there are no “cusswords” mentioned in scripture (there is foul language) society dictates what is bad and good language. The ONE THING God wrote IN STONE with HIS OWN FINGER was NOT to take HIS Name in Vain, so which is more offensive, cussing or blasphemy? By the way this movie took God's name in vain SEVEN times (OMG/G/J). My children look for blasphemy in film and TV because they read how God feels about it. Negative - …“Paris Hilton-esqe” character is one of the main characters. The camera keeps coming back to her, and she is never appropriately dressed. There is similar unnecessary footage elsewhere. The humor is not all that funny (especially at the beginning) though there are some funny parts. The idea is good and a lesson is learned. Yet, I hoped for more due to the review and was disappointed that I rented it to watch with my father and unsaved friend. I definitely do not consider it a children's movie. There are other better movies than this for kids and families. Negative - First of all, I would like to say how entertained I was. It is a funny movie. But, like so many things, especially coming out of Hollywood, we have a mixture of good so that we may accept the bad. If they can find the amount that is acceptable to most viewers they will push it a little farther. This is why I am so picky with the movies I watch. The problems with this movie are not mountainous, but I hate to give in and certainly wouldn't buy the movie for my family to play over and over again. Skeeter (played by Adam Sandler) is a very selfish man. Negative - This movie is inane (as are most Adam Sandler movies... or for that matter, most movies geared toward children). It offers no deep substance or real moral character. It is not delightfully fanciful. It is vaguely fanciful with a propensity for idiocy. Negative - I was paying the bills as I viewed this movie, I also left the room a couple of times for a few minutes, the movie was not very good, especially for a Disney picture. There were some funny parts. Negative - Tramp starts a truth or dare game with little boy all the time speaking in trampy mannerisms, dressed inappropriately, and lying on her side on a couch, insisting she wants to hear more later, wink wink. Little boy admits to liking a girl 2 yrs his older, and is later coached and cheered on by Sandler into soliciting a kiss from said girl at the end of the movie for having done a good deed. The little girl prances off with joyful glee at the exchange. Comments from young people
Positive - There was really nothing wrong with this film. I am 13 years old, and I truly loved it—and for my younger brother, who is 7, it was really good, too. I can see why it was rated PG instead of G, but it was for very mild reasons. I am an extremely strong Christian, and I find nothing in this film that would hurt God or offend him. The only small thing is that a woman is shown walking down the beach in a slightly small bikini. Neutral - I want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed this movie. Good storyline, good actors/actresses, etc. But the one thing that kept me on my toes was the rampant displays of immodesty. FAR too many low-cut shirts and bikinis for a children's movie. Those are not the images we want to impress on the minds of the young children this movie is geared toward, especially young boys. I was constantly on the edge, afraid for the sake of my younger brothers who were watching it, as well. But like I said, I did enjoy the rest of the movie. It was well constructed, and the special effects were great, just keep in mind that even though this movie is a family movie, not all families may wish to view it. Positive - This movie was very good. The people are rude to each other once in a while, but is at minimum. There is one part in the movie that a midget kicks the main character and says that big people stink, and is called a dwarf. Now that really seems to be mocking midgets and saying that they are stupid, when they are really just like us, only smaller. The main character, also, likes this one girl, just because she is rich, which is not a good example. But overall, I think it is a good movie that the whole family should see. Positive - I LOVED this movie!!! I went to see it with my siblings, and I was not really interested. Bedtime stories? Lame… But I went and was shocked to find myself almost out of my seat, laughing so hard. I was laughing almost every five minutes. The guinea pig was HILARIOUS! The whole storyline was great! I can't find one thing that is bad about this movie. Actually, I don't remember hearing any foul language. Hmm. I recommend this movie to everyone of all ages! It is so good! Go see it! Positive - This was a great movie!! I was surprised that Adam Sandler made no offensive comments at all. I recommend this movie to kids,teens,and Adults of all ages! I only saw one thing that may be offensive to other people. Violet said (HUMORESLY) “would you like to drink champagne in a near by hot tub?” That was only meant as a joke, though… Another thing that might frighten little children is *SPOILER* That the 2 children walk inside the school when they were about to blow it up *SPOILER ENDED* Positive - This movie is lol so funny. Truly a great movie for the family! It wasn't all about God, but it teaches a lesson: do unto others as others would do unto you. Positive - Extremely funny. Great for kids eight years and up. There was a lot of laughter in the back of the auditorium. One of the funniest characters was Bugsy, the hamster. However, it would not be for kids who were very active because they might act out all the inappropriate parts. There were some immodest clothes when they went to the beach. I am aware that they were swim clothes, but they were kinda un modest. Some of the language was not words you would want your child to repeat. There were no swear words, but some words were not exactly good words. Positive - I went to see this movie with my boyfriend. We both thought that it might be a little childish, but actually this was a great movie, and we both loved it! It was Awesome! Positive - I really liked this movie because of it's quirkiness and almost randomness. Not a single cuss in the movie and I liked that. No sexual jokes (unless you take 'buttkiss' as sexual). The women in the movie are to my dismay showing an excessive amount of cleavage when wearing dresses and at the birthday party a back shot is showing of a skimpy-dressed vegas-style line dancer. Mostly good throughout the whole film. I like that he sort of goes through a pseudo-redemption in the film and ends up getting his dreams by not being selfish like his original motives were. Overall some subtle political 'save the environment' themes are played throughout the movie. Final Word= Really Good! Neutral - The main problem I had with this movie was that it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a kids movie or just another Adam Sandler movie. It would have been alot better if they had toned it down to a G rating. That said, I enjoyed the “bedtime stories coming true” part of the story very much, I thought it was very clever. But I could have done without the sleazy hotel girl, and the booger monster stuff. Overall I would probably tell families with small children to rent something else. Negative - I am sad to say that I disagree with nearly everything that the reviewer said. For one, as Christians aren't we supposed to be measuring things according to what God says and not according to our 'family humor meter'? At the beginning, I thought this movie would be pretty good, but only ten minutes later I started to change my opinion. For what appeared to be a weird and fun kids movie in the commercials, was turning ill and lude humored . This movie had quite a bit of innuendo, many shots of women in bikinis and low cut tops, and as for foul language, one character said the 'h' word, and multiple characters took God's name in vain. I know that our society thinks nothing of saying omg or the like, but as Christians shouldn't we rise above what the crowd thinks? For God himself put 'Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain' in the ten commandments. If it really didn't matter or wasn't important, do you really think God would put it in the ten rules he gave us to live our life by? Positive - This was a fun movie for all ages that I would totally see again. There are many funny parts and it is not crude like some of Adam Sandler's other movies. The story was fun and the film made me and my family laugh. |
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