Bernard and the Genie (1991)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I saw this little film a while back on A & E, and recently found that it was released on a "bare bones" DVD. Doesn't matter, though, as the movie doesn't need any bells and whistles to spice it up.The movie introduced me to Alan Cumming and Rowen Atkinson - two of the better character actors around.It is quite simply one of the best Holiday movies ever. I really loved the characters, and found the British humor and pace to be a refreshing change from the normal American flicks. I recently saw the movie Millions and it seems somewhat reminiscent of BATG's style.It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story rank as my all-time Holiday favorites, with BATG finishing a close third.

This is an hilarious take on the classic Aladdin-style story featuring British comics. The two leads handle their roles with the right amount of humour and affection. They're not cloying or raucous at all. My fav scene however, is at the end where Rowan Atkinson's Scrooge-like character has been made a reluctant notable benefactor of an international charity. A television crew is interviewing him on his enormous contribution, and he is forced to make condescending remarks to the camera while secretly seething with resentment inside. It is a superb comic moment, and Rowan Atkinson handles it to perfection.There are other great off-the-cuff moments like where the Genie makes a casual remark about attending Jesus' feeding of the multitude; and Bernard hugs a character for not being dead in an alternate story-line (you'll have to see the story to understand). All in all, a brilliant piece of comic storytelling; made more exceptional by its low budget and television environment.

Funny how this movie, which Leonard Maltin has never acknowledged, which was never publicized when it came over to this side of the pond almost 10 years ago, should be such a long-lasting favorite around my house. But it is. We watch it every Christmas and sometimes during the summer as well. Why not? It's terrific. A poor nebbish, Bernard, whose life is at an all-time low, discovers a genie in a lamp, and once he convinces it not to kill him, the two become great friends. In the process the Bernard learns a bit about history, and the genie learns about the modern world.The acting is terrific; I wish I could see more of Lenny Henry's work as he is a true comic genius, and Alan Cummings conveys just the right amount of silliness and pathos as the poor nebbish, Bernard.What's truly odd about this film is how it manages, with a few short toss-off sentences, to convey more about Biblical history than most multi-million dollar epics do in their 4+ hours, and how it can seem irreverent and yet still convey a sense that this is what Christianity was about! Not something you'd expect in a film today.Ultimately we are left with an enormous load of laughter and a surprising mist over the eyes when the movie's over and we've said goodbye to Bernard and the Genie. I wish the movie had been a bit longer; I wish more people had heard about it so I could discuss it with them. But most of all, I wish I could find a Genie like the one Bernard found, who could make my wishes come true.

I saw this when it premiered on UK television, Christmas 1991. I taped it from A&E a few years ago, and now it's part of my Christmas Eve ritual! This is a really cute movie, and suitable for older children. (There's nothing really offensive in it; I just don't think there's enough happening to keep younger kids interested.) Alan Cumming and the brilliant Lenny Henry have a great chemistry. Rowan Atkinson is, as ever, brilliant. I love when the Genie tries ice cream for the first time; he runs out into the street and yells, "HEY EVERYBODY, YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS STUFF! It's freezing cold and tastes exactly like strawberries!" I also love the newscast with the results of the boys' wishes. People outside the UK won't get all the references, but it's still worth it!