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Bedtime Stories in our magazines

THE MOVIE: Bedtime Stories

THE STARS:
Adam Sandler • Keri Russell • Russell Brand
DIRECTOR: Adam Shankman

THE CONCEPT:
Looking after the kids of his out-of-town sister (Courteney Cox), Skeeter (Sandler), with the help of his wacky best friend (Brand) and an earnest teacher (Russell), tells them bedtime stories that, with the help of the young tots, became more and more fanciful. But when the off-kilter tales begin to come true in Skeeter’s real life, he begins to wonder if his chances to improve himself are looking up.

U.S. RELEASE: December 25 2008, Nationwide
• Rated: PG

THE COMMENTS:

ADAM SANDLER:
“I loved (Matt) Lopez's script. I thought it was sweet. And, I knew Shankman was there to bring a great visual and creative look. He has great style. He's a great man. A lot of times my movies, the kids end up seeing them anyways, but some of their mothers yell at me and tell me I have corrupted their child and influenced them to pee on walls, so I wanted to make sure that I did one movie in my career that mother's hug me for. This could be it.”

RUSSELL BRAND:
“I loved working with Adam. It was an education for me, in how to do film acting. I hadn’t done many films before now. I learned loads of stuff, like controlling things, how to improvise within sensible perimeters, how to not swear. It was difficult, of course. It was a wonderful education and I laughed a lot. I found it a comedic and cinematic education. I learned an awful lot, over the whole process.”

SANDLER:
“When I met the young Russell Brand, I thought the guy was hilarious. I was on his MTV show. I went over to England with four or five of my friends, and we all talked about Russell after. We were, like, ‘That kid was incredible. He’s so funny. He’s so smart.’ I was a guest on the show. I didn't have to say much. Russell did most of the talking. He was very cordial. He would ask me a question. I wouldn't come up with anything too funny, and Russell would button it with a huge laugh. The girls would gasp at how great he was, and that was it. So, we had this great part here, for the room service guy who was kind of my best friend. He was loose with the kids. He was more comfortable with the children than me.”

BRAND:
“Adam said, ‘Do you want to do this film?’ so I said, ‘Yeah, all right!’ I thought I'd learn some stuff and it would be a laugh. Then, as I spent more time learning about it, I found out that all his movies make loads of money. Now, if people associate you with the idea of loads of money, they in turn will give some of that money to you. For example … I used to be poor and have loads of money now, so my family is getting loads of things for Christmas. I'm giving the stuff away! I'm buying things for people that I don't even know. I'm like Willy Wonka, but more manipulative. Imagine if Willy Wonka had a devious goal.”

KERI RUSSELL:
“I was very pregnant at the time, and Adam Sandler called me and said, ‘I have a kid now, and I want to make a movie my kid can see, and you’re having a kid, so I think it would be fun. You should come do it.’ And, I was, like, ‘OK!’ ”

SANDLER:
“When the kids are laughing in the audience, I tear up. I'm so happy I did a nice thing. I think I did a good thing. I'm so happy to make the kids laugh, and so happy that it gives the parents a place for parents to take the kids. I keep thinking about grandmas because of my mother. My mother will sometimes take my kids to a movie and I'm, like, ‘Oh, that's going to be cool. Grandma or Grandpa will have a nice time with grandkids.’ ”

RUSSELL:
“It’s a Disney movie, but what’s cool about this one is that it’s what Disney does best, but it has the Sandler factor in it, which keeps it a current, modern Disney movie. That’s what’s great about it.”

SANDLER:
“I read in the morning a lot to little Sadie [his 2-year-old daughter]. I'm not great at the bedtime stories. The bedtime stories are supposed to put the kid to sleep. My kid gets riled up and crazy. My wife has to come in and go, ‘All right, get out of the room!’ In most of my stories, it's similar to the movie. She gives me a subject and we go from there. Every subject she brings up has to do with food. It’s always, like, ‘Waffles.’ ‘OK, there was a giant waffle.’ ‘Pancake.’ ‘And he met a blanket made out of pancakes.’ ‘Syrup.’ ‘And then, they had to cross the river made of syrup.’ I swear to God, that’s how every story is. And then, at the end of every story, she's, like, ‘Cookies.’”

Written by David Waldon. Back to top

Visit the official Bedtime Stories site
Images above © Walt Disney Pictures
Feature © 2008 Visual Imagination Limited.
Not for reproduction.

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