Bedtime Stories (film)

Bedtime Stories is a 2008 American fantasy comedy film directed by Adam Shankman and written by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy. It stars Adam Sandler in his first appearance in a family-oriented film alongside Keri Russell, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Laura Ann Kesling, Guy Pearce, Aisha Tyler, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Lucy Lawless and Courteney Cox. Sandler's production company Happy Madison and Andrew Gunn's company Gunn Films co-produced the film with Walt Disney Pictures. The film was theatrically released on December 25, 2008 by Walt Disney Pictures. Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, it was a box office success after earning $212.9 million against an $80 million budget.

Plot
Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a hotel maintenance man who is promised as a child by his father Marty (Jonathan Pryce) to be the manager of the family hotel, but later it is bought by hotel chain Nottingham Hotels. 25 years later, the new manager Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) plans to build a new hotel and appoints another man, the snotty Kendall Duncan (Guy Pearce) to become the manager, simply because he is dating his daughter, Violet (Teresa Palmer).

Skeeter's sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) asks him to watch her kids, Patrick and Bobbi, (who own a guinea pig with huge eyes named Bugsy), because the school at which she is the principal is being closed and she is looking for a job in Arizona. The first night, Skeeter tells a bedtime story taking place in medieval times (with him as the main character; in this case, an underdog peasant named Sir Fix-A-Lot), with some additions from her kids. The next day, the entire story miraculously comes true. Nottingham gives Skeeter a shot at the manager position when he says his new hotel theme was taken by Hard Rock Hotel and on his way home, it rains gumballs on top of him (which came from a truck crash on a bridge above), all from the story.

The next night, at the hotel, he tells another story set in the Old West, and when he waits for it to come true, a man dressed in Indian attire steals his wallet. He saves Violet from an obnoxious paparazzi and gets kicked by a dwarf. He also spots a Ferrari car, and thought he was being offered it for free (like in the story) but Violet drives away with it (implying that it was actually her car). This makes Skeeter realize that only those parts of the stories come true which the kids adds in it.

The night after that, out on a campfire near the hotel, he tells them about a Greek chariot-riding stuntman, and the next day he ends up falling for his sister's friend and colleague Jill (Keri Russell).

On the last night with the kids, he tells them about a space fight in which he triumphs over Kendall. After he wins the gig of manager (despite his presentation being flawed due to a bee stinging his tongue), he makes the discovery from Kendall that the new Nottingham Hotel will be at the location of the closing school. After being fired by Nottingham (for inadvertently destroying his birthday cake), which turned out to be the connection to the ending of the space story (at which he originally thought he would catch on fire), he gets the hotel moved to Santa Monica, and then with Jill is able to avert the demolition, saving the school and his nephew and niece, while getting his wallet and money back from the same man that stole it from him earlier.

Sometime later, he marries Jill and establishes a motel named after his late father. Kendall and his accomplice Aspen (Lucy Lawless) are demoted to the motel's waiting staff. Violet marries Skeeter's best friend Mickey (Russell Brand), giving him control of the Nottingham Empire, becoming the ninth richest man alive. In the meantime, Nottingham quits hotel management to become a school nurse and newlywed Skeeter and Jill have a baby, while Bugsy the guinea pig marries too, and has a bunch of babies.

Production
Director Adam Shankman describes Adam Sandler's character as "a sort of 'Cinderfella' character" and adds that "'He's like Han Solo ...'" It was filmed on various locations in California, including in Thousand Oaks where Mr. Nottingham's palace is set.

Music
The score to Bedtime Stories was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams, who recorded his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox. The song "Don't Stop Believin'" is played during the film and during the end credits.

Theatrical release
The film was released in the United States on December 25, 2008, in Poland on January 23, 2009 and in Sweden on February 20, 2009.

Critical reception
The film received generally negative reviews. As of 2024, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 26% of critics gave positive reviews based on 109 reviews, with an average rating of 4.38/10. The consensus states, "Though it may earn some chuckles from pre-teens, this kid-friendly Adam Sandler comedy is uneven, poorly paced, and lacks the requisite whimsy to truly work." Metacritic gave the film a 33/100 approval rating based on 26 reviews.

Box office
Slashfilm predicted that Bedtime Stories would open #1 during the December 25–28, 2008 Christmas weekend due to its family appeal and the box office draw of Adam Sandler, but it came at #3 grossing $38 million behind Marley & Me and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, during the standard 3-day weekend, it jumped ahead of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ranking #2 behind Marley & Me with $27.5 million. As of February 2009, the film had grossed $110,101,975 in the United States and Canada and $102,772,467 in other countries, totaling $212,874,442 worldwide.

Home media release
The film was released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on April 7, 2009. The DVD was released as a single disc or a two-disc edition including behind-the-scenes featurette. Commercials advertising the discs feature background music recycled from the film Back to the Future Part III. As of November 1, 2009 the DVD has sold 2,835,662 copies generating $49,409,944 in sales revenue.

Accolades

 * Australian Film Institute 2009


 * BMI Film & TV Awards 2009


 * Kids' Choice Awards, Australia 2009


 * Kids' Choice Awards, USA 2009


 * Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA 2009


 * Young Artist Awards 2009