[MOVIE] Badtime Stories

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Bedtime Stories is a 2008 American family-fantasy-comedy film directed by Adam Shankman that stars Adam Sandler in his first appearance in a family-oriented film. Sandler's production company Happy Madison and Andrew Gunn's company Gunn Films have produced the film, and Walt Disney Pictures distributing it, The second of four Happy Madison films with a "PG" rating (preceded by The Master of Disguise and followed by Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Zookeeper).

Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a hotel handyman who was promised by his father to be the manager of the family hotel. Barry Nottingham agreed to keep that promise when the Bronson family sold their hotel to him - then built a new hotel instead. When the story begins, an adult Skeeter is the new hotel's handyman, while management is held by Kendall (Guy Pearce). Nottingham's new hotel is a hit, but he's got plans to build an even more elaborate hotel, one designed around a theme that he's keeping secret.

Skeeter's sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) asks him to watch her kids, Bobbi and Patrick, while she goes out of town on a job interview. Also helping out is Wendy's friend Jill (Keri Russel). Currently, Wendy is the principal of a school scheduled for demolition. Skeeter does not know his niece and nephew very well, but agrees. That night, putting them to bed, Skeeter gives them a story, one obviously inspired by his own life as an "underdamiciated" handyman: a downtrodden squire "Sir Fixalot" rivals the pompous "Sir Buttkiss" in competition for a new job. The kids add their own details, such as the king giving Sir Fixalot a chance to prove himself, a mermaid based on Jill, and a downpour of gumballs when Fixalot prevails.

The following day, while fixing Nottingham's television, Skeeter learns that the new hotel's surprise theme will be rock and roll. Nottingham is shocked to learn from Skeeter that that idea was already used for the Hard Rock Hotel. Nottingham offers Skeeter a chance to compete with Kendall for a better theme. While driving, Skeeter is suddenly greeted with a shower of gumballs, which he does not see is caused by a crashed delivery truck. Skeeter concludes that the story had come true and quickly develops a plan.

For the next story, he chooses a Western in which he receives a horse named "Ferrari" from an Indian chief (Rob Schneider) for free. The children have him save a damsel in distress. They claim he should be rewarded with a kiss, only to have a dwarf kick him instead. That night, Skeeter goes out in search of his Ferrari and meets a man (also played by Schneider), who steals his wallet. Nottingham's daughter, Violet, hounded by paparazzi, is rescued by the passing Skeeter. Just as he is about to kiss her, he is kicked by a dwarf. From this point, he determines that it is only the changes made by the children that affect reality.

The following night, Skeeter tries to sell the kids on the theme ideas contest, but they are more interested in romance and action in their stories. The next story begins with Skeeticus, a Greek gladiator who, after impressing the emperor and a stadium of onlookers, attracts the attention of the most beautiful maiden. After a meal in which all the girls who used to pick on him in high school were impressed by the beautiful maiden he is with, they start randomly singing the "Hokey Pokey". After Skeeticus saves a man's life, a rainstorm sends him and the maiden into a magical cave which has Abraham Lincoln in it. Skeeter loses his patience with the story and upsets the children, telling them that their stories have nothing to do with real life. Unable to get them to continue, the story ends.

The next day, Skeeter learns Violet will not be meeting with him per the story design, but unexpectedly runs into Jill, who invites him to lunch. Recognizing girls at the restaurant from his high school days, Skeeter asks Jill to pretend to be his girlfriend. The girls are plainly impressed, and then inexplicably break into the "Hokey Pokey". Going to the beach with Jill, Skeeter casually saves the life of a man before a sudden rainstorm sends them under the dock. Skeeter realizes that the girl in the stories isn't Violet, it's Jill and that he is falling in love with her. As they are about to kiss, Skeeter remembers that Abe Lincoln is supposed to appear, and moves away. Instead, an American penny (with Lincoln's face on it) falls from through the cracks of the dock, completing the story.

For Skeeter and the kids' final night together, a space-themed story begins with Skeeter's character who battles Kendell's character in anti-gravity. Skeeter's character, who speaks in alien gibberish, wins, and Skeeter quickly ends the story. Patrick interjects that the story is too predictable and - remembering Skeeter's argument against whimsically happy endings - pointless. Instead, Skeeter's character is incinerated by a fireball, and there ends the story.

Panicking, Skeeter sees/hears signs of fire everywhere. At Nottingham's luau-themed birthday party, while dodging many fiery hazards, Skeeter's tongue is stung by a bee, making him as hard to understand as his character was in the last of the stories. Luckily, Skeeter's friend Mickey (Russell Brand) can still understand him, and offers to translate for him. Kendall's idea is for a hotel with a theme celebrating Broadway musicals - an idea that impresses no one. Nottingham much prefers Skeeter's approach - simply reminding them of how fun children have when staying at a classy hotel. After winning the competition, Skeeter thinks he's found his happy ending. Instead, he panics when he sees Nottingham's oversized birthday cake, and douses the candle and Nottingham with a fire extinguisher. An enraged Nottingham tells Skeeter that he's fired.

Afterward, Jill, Patrick, and Bobbi discover that the school where they all work and attend is to be knocked down to make way for the new hotel, and they are all upset with Skeeter, refusing to believe that he didn't know about the location. Wendy believes him, but is upset because he taught the children not to believe in happy endings. She confesses that she had always been jealous of his and their father's ability to believe in made up stories and have fun the way she never did and had secretly hoped that by leaving her children with him that his fun loving nature would rub off on them. When they attend the demolition to protest, Skeeter is inspired to prevent the school from being demolished - one of the girls from his high school days works for the city, and helps find Nottingham an alternative location. Skeeter takes Jill on a wild motorcycle ride (during which Skeeter steals back his wallet from Rob Schneider) which ends at the school and manages to stop the countdown. As a reward, Skeeter asks Jill for a kiss and she gladly complies. Sometime later, he and Jill marry. Skeeter founds a hotel named after his late father while Kendall and his scheming partner Aspen (Lucy Lawless) are demoted to Skeeter's hotel wait staff.