It's going to be a depressing Christmas. Releasing Christmas day is a movie about a failed plot to kill Hitler where all the "heroes" die, a film with a suicidal and depressed Will Smith, a tear-jerker love story about a man who ages backwards, and a dark, film-noir action pic about a guy in a red tie. I thought this was the season of joy. You'd never be able to figure that out from the boxoffice, but fortunately all is not so dreary. Adam Sandler is out to save Christmas, not in his movie, but rather with his movie. Bedtime Stories is just about the only joyful and light-hearted fun you'll find at the boxoffice this Christmas, so I guess it's a good thing that it's actually a pretty good movie.

I know a lot of people were surprised to see Sandler with Disney, but I thought it worked really well. This was easily the cleanest Adam Sandler film I've seen, and no less funny because of it. While not quite as good as Enchanted, Bedtime Stories is very reminiscent of that lighthearted fantasy and recaptures much of the good-naturedness of that previous film. It's goofy and silly but knows it and therefore just has a lot of fun with it. Bedtime Stories doesn't try to be anything other than fun for the whole family, and considering the other options this Christmas, that makes it a real winner.

It's not a perfect movie, however. There are a few inconsistencies and plot holes, but if you're willing to ignore them, they don't dramatically effect the film. The central conceit of the story is that the stories Adam Sandler tells to a couple of kids end up coming true. At first it seems that this happens through very weird coincidences. However, later in the film they seem to come true purely by magical means. Even later in the film, it seems to be a mix of the two.

While it isn't really necessary to explain how these stories are coming true, if the movie is going to try to show an explanation, it should at least be consistent. I found its lack of consistency in explaining the events annoying, but it by no means ruins the movie. Also, it's sometimes hard to figure out where the fantasy of the stories end and reality begins. Especially at the end of the film the two seem to blend together, with no real explanation given. It's completely over the top and goofy, but again if you're willing to just go with it without thinking too much about it, it's still fun.

Adam Sandler carries this movie through his chemistry with the two kids, which is believable and endearing, and his trademark wit which is still as sharp as ever, just without the more colorful metaphors. However, he also has an excellent supporting cast to play off of, the best of which is Guy Pearce who appears to have a lot of fun playing the snobby, superior, self-absorbed villain in the film. True, he completely hams it up to a point of almost extreme ridiculousness, but somehow that works. It works because the lighthearted tone of the story, the magical elements, and the narration make this whole affair feel like a classic Disney fairytale, which is perhaps why it's so enjoyable. So all of the overacting by Pearce and the other villains actually make sense and help make the film that much more fun.

And that's what Bedtime Stories is really about: having a little bit of fun just for the fun of it. This is one of those movies that really brings out the kid in you. It helps remind you of time when anything was possible with the imagination as a child, and how sad it is that we slowly lose that as we grow older. Perhaps what we need to hang on to our fast fading youth isn't more miracle beauty products, but to tell a few more original bedtime stories to our children, our friends, our spouses or even just to ourselves.

Bedtime Stories is a simple movie that's made purely to be enjoyed. It has an inherent corniness and silliness to it, but that's part of what makes it so delightful. I must confess that I saw it right after I saw Valkyrie, so perhaps that's why I had such a favorable view of it. Regardless of why I enjoyed it, with so many dark and dreary films coming out on Christmas day, it's nice to have something that will make you smile, make you wish you were a kid again, and if you're willing to just sit back and enjoy it, make you giggle a whole bunch even if you don't understand why.