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Showing posts with label adam sandler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adam sandler. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Matt Adcock meets Russell Brand (and Adam Sandler)


Matt Adcock Meets Russell Brand (and Adam Sandler too)

As the new Disney magical fantasy adventure / comedy Bedtime Stories hits the screens I got to meet up with two of the stars of this fun family film.

Matt: I liked the ideas behind the stories your character tells the kids in this film coming to life. It must have been fun playing out the fantasy sections?

Adam: I looked great in a cowboy hat, so the Wild West scene was fun and I think I looked fantastic in leather pants in the space scene. I really looked good in the gladiator costume too. At least I am guessing I looked good judging by the reaction I got from my co-star Keri Russell.

Russell: I get to play a robot called ‘Lieutenant Mike’ in the Outer Space chapter and they were very diligent and assiduous in their make up job, painting even the inside of my mouth golden, in spite of what we learned from the film Goldfinger that being covered in gold paint can lead to death. There was one area of skin that didn’t get painted gold though… and when I went for a wee my genitals looked ridiculous, this pink organic object emerging from C-3PO’s robotic torso!

Matt: And so how did you pick Russell for the part?

Adam: We had a great part in the film for this room service guy at the hotel who was my best friend and kind of loose and great with the kids. First of all we imagined Russell doing it; we got excited just thinking about the possibility and then Russell was cool enough to say yes. I thought he would be good. He was more comfortable with the children than me in fact. Then we completed the movie and we screened it for the first time. When they ask audiences who is their favorite character, I got a score of 91 which is very high and I thought, ‘great’. But then I looked at Russell’s score and he got 96. I thought to myself: how dare he? The children of America have embraced the long and lean and handsome Russell Brand.

Russell: Thank you Adam and I look forward to in about 15 year’s time that will really start paying dividends!

Matt: What was it like making your first Disney film?

Adam: I always loved Disney movies growing up with my own family. Every Sunday we would watch a Disney movie with Kurt Russell. I was a very big Kurt Russell fan as a child and in fact I wanted to be the modern day Kurt Russell.

Russell: What I’d do is think ‘there are children here’. But it’s not mentally hard because, obviously in my life, I have friends who have got kids and hang out with kids. With them, I don’t think ‘right, now for some X-rated filth’ to pass the time. I use the usual methods I’d use socially and it’s nice to see myself doing something in a film and like it’s not all rude.

Matt: I’ve heard you’re both big sport fans – did you get to watch much whilst filming?

Russell: Sandler is obsessed with sport and, in fact, it seems to be prioritised over making the film. There were screens everywhere showing basketball, football and stuff like that next to the monitor that I’m trying my hardest to be doing my acting on. I’d say, what about that bit of acting? Was it all right?’ and someone would shout ‘they’ve just scored a touchdown’.
At least they understood the significance of West Ham United in my life. Sport was one of the things that made me feel very comfortable in that environment and enhanced my masculinity. It was like: ‘sport, hey? I like sport too. We’re not so different, are we?’


You can see Adam and Russell in Bedtime Stories from 26th December.

Read our review here and enter our competition here

Film Review - Bedtime Stories


Bedtime Stories (PG)

Dir. Adam Shankman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

2008 ends with a bang as the year’s most all round family pleasing fantasy effort rocks up to cinemas making far fetched children’s bedtime stories come to life.
In a brave move by Disney they have teamed up comedy goofball Adam Sandler with Brit shock comedian Russell Brand for their big Christmas movie. It might sound like a recipe for disaster but against all odds Bedtime Stories really works and director Adam ‘Cheaper By The Dozen 2’ Shankman manages to somewhat redeem his previous crimes against cinema with this genuinely good fun romp. So we have Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) the immature but hardworking handyman at a swanky hotel that used to be run by his dad. Due to a twist of fate he is saddled with looking after his niece Bobbi and nephew Patrick (Laura Ann Kesling and Jonathan Morgan Heit) and all sorts of fun ensues when the crazy bedtime stories he tells them begin to come true in real life.Sure there is a predictable romantic subplot and lots of the comedy moments are telegraphed miles in advance but Sandler goes about his slapstick role with gusto and real heart. Russell Brand is surprisingly good as Mickey – Bronson’s best pal who also works at the hotel and suffers from a comedic sleep panic disorder but even he is upstaged by a goggle eyed guinea pig named Bugsy.
Bedtime Stories makes good use of it’s ‘anything can happen and you’re only limited by your imagination’ idea taking fantasy spins through the Wild West, a medieval castle and a messy outer space showdown. The kids are suitably adorable, the supporting cast are effective, especially Keri Russell as Jill ‘the love interest’ and the lovely Teresa Palmer as the spoilt babe daughter of the hotel owner Violet Nottingham. Of course there are baddies on offer in the form of underhand work rival Kendall (Guy Pearce) and his devious sidekick Aspen (Lucy Lawless). There are some lovely throw away touches such as a bright red Ferrari horse and Russell popping up as mermaid but pick of the bunch is Band’s robot alter ego – he could be C3PO’s long lost brother!
Hardened sceptics and Sandler haters might balk at such a machine tooled Disney feel good production but when it is done this well, there really isn’t any reason not to enjoy some fantasy kids dream wish fulfillment.

Happy Christmas!
Arbitrary final rating: öööööööö (8)