Bedtime Stories

    This may eventually become a significant children's movie, but I doubt it. Instead, what we have been served up is another formulaic Happy Madison production that is not rooted in reality, so the fantasy scenes ring hollow, shallow and uninspiring. The fantasy may work for some children, but it is so haphazardly thrown together, no right thinking adult will regard this movie as anything more than kiddy fluff, and that is sad.

    It is sad because movies such as "Bedtime Stories" assume that children have immature cognitive powers, and they play to this lowest common denominator. An example of such is the segment of the story that deals with the acquisition of property to build a new hotel is silly at best. The pedestrian writing skills of Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy, and the inept direction of Adam Shankman are never better demonstrated than from their implausible assumption that any school system, even in Los Angeles where this story is set, would sell a publicly owned school to a private investor during the school year, with all the teachers and principal being fired. I suppose the children get fired too ... ridiculous.

    I have always thought Adam Sandler a funny guy, competent actor, with "Happy Gilmore" and "Waterboy" well crafted comedies. Guy Peacre, who portrays the aloof and self-centered Kendall is a very good actor. Kerri Russell, Lucy Lawless and Courtney Cox have done some fine work so why does not the movie work? Poor writing, poor direction and everything else a silly story, except some of the comedic moments, and it takes more than that to build a picture that is not worth its 99 minutes of runtime.

    Rated PG. Released on DVD April 3, 2009