The Writer's Poke

It's called Bedtime Story, and so it's a nice touch that the opening credits are done like a children's pop-up book. If you didn't know better, though, might you be led to believe that the movie would be a children's tale? The movie even begins "Once upon a time." Perhaps the point is that Lawrence (David Nevin), a con artist, is a fanciful storyteller. And like all fairy tales, perhaps this intro puts us in the mindset of cautionary tale.  It's a much different opening than used in the remake Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988). And Marlon Brando as Freddy... quite different from Steve Martin.  The overall story is more or less the same.  Janet (Shirley Jones) is a much-simplified character, however, and this one difference makes some reviewers prefer Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I would agree that I probably prefer the DRS ending, but the Bedtime story ending is pretty sweet, too, with some nice lines, such as Lawrence admitting that Freddy is likely happier,...

The montage of Lawrence (Michael Caine) teaching Freddy (Steve Martin) how to be a refined gentleman reminded me of the montage of Mr. Miyagi teaching the Karate Kid. I guess I have mixed feelings about this one. Although I've seen it a couple of times before and remember enjoying it, I didn't really remember much from it -- other than the scene with Freddy, as Ruprecht, going to the bathroom at the dining room table. This time around, I found myself enjoying the opening, not being that engaged during the middle, and then liking the ending. What happens towards the ending is rather predictable, but I do like the ending. Caine looks older, and I take it his character is supposed to be older, but in reality, he's only two years older than Martin, whose character, I'm guessing, is supposed to be younger -- in 1988, Caine is 44 and Martin is 42. What I didn't realize until now is that this film is a remake of Bedtime Story (1964), which stars David Niven and Marlon Bran...

At the end of the film, Theodore (Gene Wilder), wearing Charlotte's (Kelly LeBrock) husband's bathrobe, jumps off the ledge of her apartment.  On the way down, he has an epiphany. Why was he chasing after the Woman in Red? He has a perfectly good wife and family at home. At that moment, he decides he will never act so impulsively and crazy again.  Then he sees the blonde photographer down below. She's taking his picture, and he decides he likes the look of her legs. Maybe, just maybe... but then the frame freezes in midfall. Has Teddy learned his lesson? Apparently not. The blonde photographer is Sandra Wilder. For a second, I was hoping she was his real-life wife, but when I Googled her, I quickly learned they were no relation. Gene Wilder is a stage name, after all, and Sandra's last name, just a coincidence (and Wilder was married to co-star Gilda Radner at the time).  I did find out that Sandra Wilder was the girl in the Scorpions' "No One Like You" (1...

Last week, I watched Original Sin (2001, Antonio Banduras and Angelina Jolie). Going into the film, I was completely clueless that it was a remake of Mississippi Mermaid (1969), and I'm guessing many or most viewers of Original Sin would likewise be surprised to learn about the original. I only happened to see one user review mention Mississippi Mermaid in its review of Original Sin, and it made me curious. Even that review was a little incomplete, as it didn't mention that this film was written and directed by legendary film director François Truffaut. To me, it was almost like watching a remake of a film originally done by Hitchcock, without somehow knowing that Hitchcock did the film first... (I should point out, sometimes it happens the other way. For example, I just watch The War of the Roses, 1989, not even knowing that the remake, The Roses, came out in 2025. Do I plan to see The Roses? I may, but not anytime soon.) Mississippi Mermaid starts off with multiple voiceovers...

Nancy M. Pimental wrote this one. From 1998-2001, she was a staff writer on South Park, which kind of gives you a sense of the humor likely to be used in this movie. She's also credited with writing 25 episodes of Shameless (TV series with 134 episodes, 2011-2021 and a current IMDb rating of 8.5). I include this because it would be so easy to write-off The Sweetest Thing as juvenile and stupid. And yes, it probably is juvenile and stupid, but in a Harold and Kumar (2004) way. That's the film that immediately came to mind as I started watching this. And yet, Sweetest Thing has a 5.2 IMDb rating, and Harold and Kumar has a 7.0 IMDb rating. I don't think that's fair. Is it just because this film features women being crude, whereas we're more accepting of crudeness from men? Roger Ebert, for example, rated Sweetest Thing a Thumbs Down (1.5/4 stars). In his assessment, he admitted that he loved watching the three female leads, admiring how committed and into their roles ...

Will Ferrell is not the most subtle or understated actor out there, but the movie does have nice attention to small details, and I can appreciate the "craftsmanship" of his writing. One of my favorite scenes is when Ron and his crew are attacked "Guys and Dolls" style by the #2 news team. That would have been a good scene, but then the #3 news team shows up. Then the PBS news team. Then the Spanish news team. It's that kind of thing that makes this film a little better than average for me. Another scene that I liked is when Ron's dog survives the dropkick attack from the motorcyclist Ron hits with a burrito (Jack Black). We see the dog again as Ron and Veronica are trapped in the Bear exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. It's the dog who is able to communicate with the bears, securing their release. The dog's dialogue is pure Will Ferrell. I haven't watched any other Will Ferrell films. At least not on purpose. When he was on SNL, I was a big fan. Certa...