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6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. A Bedtime Story remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for 1930s charm, you’ll probably have a decent time. If you get annoyed by men who think their own reflection is the best part of the movie, you might want to skip this one. Seriously, the man spends a lot of time looking at himself in mirrors.
Maurice Chevalier is basically doing the exact thing you expect him to do. He’s got the straw hat energy down to a science. He plays a playboy whose life gets interrupted by a baby, which is a classic trope that usually leads to some forced sentimental moments.
The baby, by the way, is actually pretty good.
There is this one scene where he’s trying to juggle a romantic entanglement while the kid is wailing in the background, and it captures that specific, frantic frustration of trying to keep your cool when everything is falling apart. It’s not profound, but it works.
You can tell the movie is trying really hard to make us find the bachelor’s inconvenience charming. Sometimes it works! Other times, you just want to shake him and tell him to grow up already. It’s got that breezy, black-and-white rhythm that feels like it belongs in a different century—which, I guess, it does.
Edward Everett Horton is in here, too. He’s always a welcome sight. He brings a level of nervous energy that contrasts well with Chevalier’s smugness. It’s almost like he’s the only one in the room who realizes how ridiculous the situation is.
The pacing is a bit all over the place. One minute we’re in high-society parties, the next we’re in a nursery. It doesn’t always land, but the scenes move fast enough that you don't get bored.
It’s not as gritty or interesting as The Patent Leather Kid, but it isn't trying to be. It’s just fluff. Pleasant, slightly dated, sugary fluff. 🍼
The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone decided to film on a Tuesday. It’s not going to change your life. It’s not going to make you rethink the medium of cinema. But if you want to see a guy in a tuxedo try to figure out how to change a diaper, this is your movie.
The ending is exactly what you expect. Don't go looking for surprises. Just enjoy the ride for what it is. A quick, slightly messy, but mostly fun time.
IMDb 2.1
1914
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