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 Blog of Bret R. Fuller