Critic consensus:Though it may earns some chuckles from pre-teens, this kid-friendly Adam Sandler comedy is uneven, poorly paced, and lacks the requisite whimsy to truly work.

Numbered reviews:1. Sandler, it turns out, is great with kids.
2. Sloppy, choppy, and saved by an affably low-key and typically sophomoric Sandler performance.
3. A likable but thin Disney vehicle for Adam Sandler that will play best for preteens.
4. Those other Adam Sandler comedies? Turns out they were the grown-up efforts.
5. Bedtime Stories champions imagination while having too little originality itself.
6. It's Little Nicky-awful.
7. The new Disney movie Bedtime Stories presents a taste test for moviegoers: Do you prefer your Adam Sandler regular strength or in the new mild format?
8. It's a dispirited, galumphing mess in which Sandler, as a hotel handyman who spins out tall tales for his niece and nephew, pictures himself in assorted historical-kitsch guises.
9. Bedtime Stories is not my cup of tea. Even the saucer. Fairness requires me to report, however, that it may appeal to, as they say, 'kids of all ages.'
10. Bedtime Stories is baloney on Wonder Bread with a Kraft Single and some Miracle Whip -- barely lunchable.


Critic consensus:It's overly talky, but Playing By Heart benefits from witty insights into modern relationships and strong performances from an esteemed cast.

Numbered reviews:1. The film works well as a whole and is lively from start to finish.
2. In fact, it could have benefited from having one or two plot threads snipped. But it's hard to argue with any film that boasts a cast of this caliber.
3. An always-entertaining and fairly thoughtful film on the subject of love, and how everyone hopes for it in one way or another.
4. Mushy yet funny and intelligent, the beautifully executed new film Playing by Heart is an ideal romantic comedy-drama for a winter afternoon.
5. Carroll is satisfied to just give us a feel for the personality of the characters. The veteran actors know how to make the most of their time.
6. It will come as no surprise to fans of Elvis Costello that his beautifully expressed observation that "writing about music is like dancing about architecture" has served as inspiration for a motion picture.
7. Just like love itself, this movie is distinct and appreciated by all on many different levels.
8. The dozen or so lead characters of Playing By Heart fear silence the way Biblical people feared locusts.
9. An underrated, dreamy drama about love, lust and infidelity amongst inter-connected Los Angeleans. Jolie rises to the challenge.
10. Playing By Heart tries hard and sometimes succeeds -- and Jolie is terrific.


Critic consensus:This adaptation of David Mamet's play is every bit as compelling and witty as its source material, thanks in large part to a clever script and a bevy of powerhouse actors.

Numbered reviews:
1. Pacino, Lemmon, Harris, and Baldwin are masters of their craft, and Mamet's dynamite play rewards them accordingly.
2. The conversations are like big sumptuous MEALS. I listen to this movie like it's classical music.
3. David Mamet's prophetic and soulful drama about how the human spirit is violated in the work arena.
4. a film more concerned with the performances and how well lines are delivered than the abovementioned plot - And justifiably so with each of the gifted performers giving nothing but their best here. In addition, it's probably David Mamet's best screen effo
5. An utter masterpiece.
6. A stage play that never quite makes the transition into the medium of film.
7. It is a testament to the power of Jack Lemmon's performance that it ranks as one of the most recognized of his accomplished career.
8. David Mamet's screenplay is brutal and snappy, and the cast is an acting connoisseur's dream
9. For all of [its] advantages, Glengarry Glen Ross is as hopelessly stagebound as any theatrical adaptation I've ever seen.
10. Five truly great actors in a rare film that fully justifies their talents.