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bedtime stories

By Bill Kallay
Blu-ray Review


I have a word for "Bedtime Stories," and the word is cute.

“Bedtime Stories” is now available on Blu-ray.

The movie isn't offensive and it won't challenge adults with any deep meaning, and it's not supposed to. It's a light enough fantasy that plays with imagination and storytelling. That said, none of the segments in which Adam Sandler's goofy character, Skeeter, is memorable and it seems as though the screenwriters took the safe route.

There's not much that is challenging to his character of Skeeter, other than a thin plot about a hotel developer (Richard Griffiths) and his snooty staff putting down poor Skeeter. The plot is simplistic, and the movie is predictable. Those elements don't make the film bad or unwatchable. Just don't go into it expecting much more than a thin quilt made with bedtime stories of cowboys, spacemen, and Romans.

This is perhaps the first Adam Sandler movie I've sat through without wanting to turn off the television. I'm not a fan of the man's work. I do understand he's got a legion of fans who appreciate how he's acted basically as the same slacker for years - that "I'm so dumb, yet I can outwit everyone with a witty comeback" character. At least in "Bedtime Stories," he tones his persona down and becomes likable.

The rest of the cast is credible, begining with Keri Russell. Though you know what's going to happen between her and Skeeter, it's still fun to watch them banter. Guy Pearce plays the snooty Kendall as well as anyone could. Richard Griffiths, which kids will no doubt know from the "Harry Potter" series, plays a good Richard Branson-type.

When I saw the previews originally, first I smirked with my usual Adam Sandler dislike. But what really got me was the fake looking CGI Guinea pig. Those eyes! Yet after watching the movie, he wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be. Neither was Sandler.

The Blu-ray (a DVD and "digital copy" are included) offers an excellent way to see the movie. The picture is nice and sharp, loaded with color. It's not eye-popping, but the picture is still solid.

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is very good, but only by a bit. It's not a very aggressive soundtrack and I don't think it was meant to be. Despite all of the fantasy segments, it's a fairly low key affair. I didn't compare the DVD's soundtrack to the Blu-ray, but I imagine both are perfectly fine audio presentations. The kids won't care about the sound quality. They just want to see raining gumballs and big-eyed Guinea pig.   


Special thanks to Click Communications

Photos: © BVHE. All rights reserved.

QUICK GLIMPSE
MOVIE
A better than expected Adam Sandler movie

TALENT
Director: Adam Shankman  

Cast: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Lucy Lawless, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox 

FEATURES
Deleted scenes, "making of," and more

RATING
PG

BLU-RAY
Picture: Excellent
Sound: Very Good

GEEK OUT
The Guinea pig is at first fake looking, but he's instilled with some personality that makes him fun

TECH SPECS
Aspect Ratio (2.39:1)


DTS-HD MA 7.1

BLU-RAY
RELEASE DATE
April 5, 2009
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