Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Skeeter Bronson is a down-on-his-luck guy who's always telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew. But his life is turned upside down when the fantastical stories he makes up for entertainment inexplicably turn into reality. Can a bewildered Skeeter manage his own unruly fantasies now that the outrageous characters and situations from his mind have morphed into actual people and events?
Bedtime Stories is a fairly formulaic Adam Sandler family comedy that doesn't distinguish itself in any meaningful way. The premise of bedtime stories coming to life has modest charm but is executed predictably, with convenient narrative shortcuts and little genuine surprise. Sandler's performance is in his comfortable wheelhouse — likable but unremarkable — and the supporting cast (Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand) is underutilized. Visually, the fantasy sequences provide some color and production value above what the script warrants, giving cinematography a slight bump. The story resolves in the most expected way imaginable, with no real stakes or earned emotional payoff. Novelty is low as the concept, while cute, feels recycled from similar wish-fulfillment family fare. A watchable but thoroughly average family film.