At the Movies with Fatwayne

Are you looking for a movie to bring the kids to? Or maybe you just want to see a comedy that will make you laugh. This movie could be the solution to either of the above scenarios. Of course you might say that Adam Sandler movies are “rude and crude” and not suitable for the younger set. In the past you would have been correct but not this time out. This is a family comedy for the young and old.

Adam Sandler plays a character named Skeeter Bronson who along with his sister Wendy (Courtney Cox) are raised by their father Marty Bronson (Jonathan Pryce) in a motel where they thrive happily but not everafter! It seems that the motel which is the love of Marty’s life (after the children of course) is not making it financially. Although reluctant to sell, he signs the dotted line with the assurance that his son Skeeter will be guaranteed employment when he grows up.

Here we go forward in time and find that Skeeter is now a man and, true to the earlier made promise, he is indeed working for the hotel that was built on the site his father’s motel. The problem is that he is the maintenance man at the bottom of the “food chain” with aspirations of becoming the manager.

Skeeter’s sister, Wendy, asks him to watch her two kids for a week while she goes out of town for a job interview. He doesn’t really know the kids since he has not been welcomed due to an altercation with his sister’s husband who has since abandoned the family. Luckily, Skeeter  has a gregarious personality and soon wins the kids over. They especially enjoy the nightly ritual of hearing a bedtime story. These stories are usually silly with improper endings – at least in the kids’ minds. Accordingly, they direct our boy, Skeeter, to retell the stories with a theme and ending that is suitable to them.

This becomes a problem when Skeeter discovers  that these stories are coming true in real life. This is especially difficult when the endings are not always in concert with his plans for advancement and romance.

There is a neat trick employed as we watch Skeeter relate his stories to the kids and then we see them being acted out in story fashion followed by what actually occurs in real life. The tales enable us to enjoy Skeeter in a variety of storybook genres such as a knight, a cowboy, a gladiator and a space ranger. Naturally, these are all done with a comedic flair!

As expected, Skeeter gets a chance at management and love but sometimes things work out a little differently then we imagine. This is not always a bad thing and we leave the theater satisfied that Skeeter’s life has worked out just fine.

Sandler does a good job in this role and the movie, while not perfect, is fun to watch. The two kids are adorable and put forth a creditable acting effort. All in all, I had a good time and isn’t that about all we can ask for?

Rated – PG -

Fatwayne’s rating  –  -