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Being a paid-up man-child, it doesn’t take much effort for Adam Sandler to tailor his schtick to a kids’ flick.
Charming and chilled, he breezes through his first Disney gig – trouble is, the film follows his laid-back lead too closely, loafing about with little urgency.
The hazy premise sees Sandler’s hotel handyman conjuring tall tales for his niece and nephew that, for no special reason, find freaky echoes in real life.
Directed with a slack hand by Adam Shankman (Hairspray), it’s a hotchpotch that dips in and out of fantasy, romance, corporate caricature and
life-lesson mush.
A lot of dosh has been thrown at the screen, but nothing really sticks – the storytime interludes (shuttling from Ancient Greece to outer space) are more silly filler than dazzling diversions, while the support cast takes in a floundering Russell Brand and reliably unfunny Rob Schneider, leaving a
googly-eyed guinea pig to scamper off with the laughter-laurels.
Matthew Leyland
