Considering that Adam Sandler is really not much more than a kid himself (albeit a crude one), it’s kind of surprising that he took so long to make something that would appeal to actual children. Not so surprising is that, like a lot of the guy’s films, Bedtime Stories is lazy and immature and I laughed at it numerous times despite myself.

The gimmick here has Sandler playing a handyman for the hotel his father opened years earlier, and then sold, who discovers that the title tales he tells his niece and nephew inexplicably come true. He tries to use his discovery to help himself become manager of the new mega-hotel his boss wants to build.

Sandler thankfully tones down his usual boorishness, but he’s still annoying and I still wonder how the women he ends up with in his films could ever find him attractive. The unfortunate victim of his infantile charms this time is fresh-faced Keri Russell (Waitress), an actress who radiates intelligence but here is limited to looking pretty and laughing at Sandler’s jokes.

Also puzzling is the presence of Guy Pearce (Memento) as the hotel boss’ slick suck-up of a future son-in-law. He’s a good actor who’s never had trouble making quality films. So how did he end up in a movie where he gets crushed by a giant booger monster? Maybe he just wanted to have fun. Maybe he should have tried bungee jumping instead.

I did laugh, though, especially at the various ways the film makes fun of Sandler’s sister (a funny Courtney Cox-Arquette) for being an extreme health nut whose kids read books like “Organic Squirrel Gets a Helmet.” I also was amused by how Sandler’s work buddy (Russell Brand) suffers from sleep-panic disorder, and how in one scene every station on Sandler’s truck radio plays songs about fire.

Kids will like the farting horse, the aforementioned booger monster, and the shin-kicking dwarf that make appearances, not to mention the rainstorm of gumballs and Sandler jumping over elephants in a chariot. But best of all is the bug-eyed pet guinea pig named Bugsy, who sleeps in a little bed, works off a cheeseburger on a little treadmill and actually giggles at Brand at one point. He absolutely steals the show. – [DVD]

Comedy/Drama/Family/Romance

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 4/7/09

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