I had heard about this film made by Disney, and I knew the leading actor, but only the title was a clue as to what it would involve, so I watched with intrigue, from director Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner, A Walk to Remember, Cheaper by the Dozen 2). Basically Marty Bronson (Jonathan Pryce) promised his son that he would one day become the manager of the family hotel, but years later his son, Skeeter (Adam Sandler), has become a hotel handyman, and the business was handed to germ fearing Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths). The big hit Sunny Vista Nottingham Hotel was built over the old one, with Kendall (Guy Pearce) as manager, but Barry plans a more elaborate hotel, with a theme he is keeping secret. Skeeter meanwhile is asked by his sister, Webster Elementary School principal Wendy (Courteney Cox), to look after her children Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) and Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit), while she is out of town looking for a job, as her school is under threat of demolition. Looking after them during the day is Wendy's friend and school teacher Jill Hastings (Keri Russell), he is taking the evening shifts, and this includes telling them bedtime stories, so he decides to make one up, based on his experiences being "underappreciated". The story Skeeter tells is with a medieval theme, where he is downtrodden squire "Sir Fixalot", rival to "Sir Buttkiss" (Kendall), and the king (Barry) gives them the chance to both compete for a job, and the children add their own details to the tale, such as it raining gum balls. The next day at work it looks like the new hotel's theme will be rock and roll, but Skeeter reminds them of the Hard Rock Hotel, so Barry offers both him and Kendall to compete against each other to pitch a suitable theme, and while driving he is showered with gum balls (from a crashed truck). He concludes that the bedtime story he told brought good luck into his reality, and for his next story he tells one with a western theme, where he is a cowboy who gets a free horse named "Ferrari" from Chief Running Mouth (Rob Schneider), but Bobbi and Patrick think he should save a damsel in distress who rewards him with a kiss, and be kicked by a dwarf. Later that night he hopes to get a free Ferrari car, and he spots a man resembling the Native American (Schneider again), but is a Pickpocket, and the Ferrari appears, driven by Barry's socialite daughter Violet (Teresa Palmer), and he saves her from hoarding paparazzi, and when they are about to kiss he gets kicked by a dwarf. Skeeter is sure that it is Bobbi and Patrick adding things to the bedtime stories that changes his fortunes in reality, and the next night he needs ideas for his hotel theme pitch the next day, but they just want an action and romance packed story, so he does tell one with a Greek theme, where he is Skeeticus trying to impress the onlooking crowd, and he attracts an attractive maiden, and all his ex lovers look on in jealousy and sing the "Hokey Pokey", and they enter a cave with Abraham Lincoln in it, but the story stops when Skeeter upsets the kids. The next day on the beach Skeeter is sure he is meeting Violet, but he instead bumps into Jill, they go to lunch together, see all his ex girlfriends looking jealous, and inexplicably do the "Hokey Pokey", and they stop under a pier, where a coin with Abraham Lincoln on it drops, this weird predicting makes Jill leave. It comes to Skeeter's last night with Bobbi and Patrick, and he goes for a space themed bedtime story where he and Kendall battle in anti gravity, Skeeter talking gibberish all the way, Kendall defeated and covered in goo, and it ends happily, until there is the addition of the hero being incinerated. Skeeter is panicking constantly when he is near fire, thinking he will catch alight, but he goes ahead with his hotel theme pitch, after Kendall has done his about Braodway Musicals, and his friend Mickey (Russell Brand) has to translate for him after a wasp stings his tongue, and his simple approach talking about family wins the competition. After Kendall has been defeated and covered in dog's saliva, but then a big birthday cake for Barry comes in, and Skeeter panics that this is what will cause him to catch fire, and the angered hotel manager fires him, this was the connection, and not long after this he finds out with Jill, Bobbi and Patrick that the school is to be demolished and replaced by Barry's new hotel. Eventually though Skeeter has his spirit lifted again, and he takes Jill on a high speed motorcycle ride to go and save the school, with flashes of his bedtime story personalities seen along the way, and he also saves the children who went inside without returned Wendy noticing. In the end the school is saved, the new hotel is given rightfully back to the Bronson family, Skeeter opens his own small motel business in honour of his father, Kendall and his scheming partner Aspen (Xena: Warrior Princess's Lucy Lawless) are forced to be waiting staff, and after kissing earlier the final text says that Jill and Skeeter get married. Also starring Carmen Electra as Hot Girl. Sandler is the likable goof ball and loser who needs a break and gets it in a magical, the supporting cast all do their parts well too, including Brand who gets some good wisecracking moments, it is a clever format where children's story ideas translate into the character's real life situations, in a hilarious fashion, the jokes and special effects help bring it all to life as well, it is a great fun fantasy comedy all the family can enjoy. Good!
Review of Bedtime Stories
