Bedtime Stories

by Tony Phoenix, staff writer
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Bedtime Stories
(2009) | 99 min. | PG | Reviewed by Tony Phoenix
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Ratings Summary
(Scored out of a maximum of five)
Audio 5 stars Video 5 stars
Goodies 2 stars Interface 3 stars
Movie 3 stars Value 3 stars
 

DVD Features

  • DVD Release Date: April 4, 2009
  • Original Theatrical Release: December 25, 2008
  • 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
  • Blu-ray: 5.1 DTS-HD / DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
  • French and Spanish Language Tracks
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
  • Suggested Retail Price: $29.99 / $39.99

The Movie

"Bring out the booger monster!"

That line from the movie sums up the story.  Bedtime Stories was released last Christmas as a family comedy. It isn't quite the pablum served up in 2007 by Mr Maggorium's Wonder Emporium, but it isn't Home Alone either. The story follows an unsuccessful-in-life hotel maintenance guy as he cares for his niece and nephew, whose bedtime stories have a tendency to come true.

The kids will enjoy it and parents will find a few points to laugh with. The bathroom humor is kept to a minimum and the obligatory 'living your dreams' points are made without being too heavy handed. If you have kids at home, or grandkids who visit, it is a good Friday night movie to enjoy together. (For thoughts on the theatrical relase, check out Alex Stroup's review here.)


Adam Sandler takes a gumball shower. © Disney. All Rights Reserved.

The Goodies

Some movies have amazing extras that you can watch for hours on end; showcasing the movie making process. Others make you wonder why the producers even bothered. Sadly, Bedtime Stories fall into the latter category. Most of these can be missed and you can be grateful for those 30 minutes of your life saved.

Until Gravity Do Us Part

A four-minute short that looks at how blue screen effects are used. If you've never seen how blue or green screens are used for special effects, you'll find it interesting. If you have, probably the only part you will really enjoy is watching villain Guy Pearce being attacked by a giant foam shovel.

To All the Little People

Some people consider Adam Sandler to be nothing more than an overgrown six year old. This short gets the take of the child stars in the movie, and their interactions with Sandler. 


© Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Outtakes & Deleted Scenes

Outtakes can definitely be painful, especially since they often show people lauging at situations and jokes that aren't shown. Six minutes of them? An eternity. There are a couple of funny points, but overall most of it is spent watching people laughing. The deleted scenes are a bit better - each lasting a few minutes and showing some fun scenes that didn't make it past the final edit.

The Final Evaluation

The Blu-ray edition includes both the DVD disk and a digital copy. However, unless you absolutely have to have the best quality image, and can't live without DTS-HD sound, don't bother. Pick up the regular DVD release and save yourself $10.