Bernard and the Genie

I really love this movie. I've seen thousands of films that claim to be 'feel good', but strangely enough none of them actually made me feel good. This one does. It's also quite hilarious, and also sad enough to make me cry at the end. The brilliance that is this film might owe something to the efforts of Lenny Henry, Rowan Atkinson (bugger ye off) and Richard Curtis - not to mention Bernard himself. Another plus factor about this movie is that it really is fit for all ages. Buy it!

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.

This film never fails to cheer me out of the holiday blues. In fact, I can think of no other film that so succinctly brings the true message of Christmas to the fore without being preachy or heavy-handed. Alan Cumming is simply adorable as luckless Bernard and Lenny Henry is utterly engaging as the titular genie. Henry's tour-de-force performance as the ancient genie discovering modern delights like Big Macs and action films is a wonder to behold. I am tearing up just thinking of the ending, but this truly is a heart-warming film; (though I don't like using that clichéd term, it really means something in this movie.) Rowan Atkinson may have a thankless role as the rat bastard art dealer, but he handles it perfectly. It was my passion for Atkinson's work that made me look at this film in the first place, and I am so grateful I taped it off A&E those many years ago. This is required viewing at Christmastime.

It has everything you need in a Christmas film- laughs, tears, a good message, and every Christmas song known to man! Me and my sister still love it and watch it every year at Christmas. It doesn't seem to have been shown on British TV since we recorded back in the early nineties. They really need to show it again so they can introduce a whole new legion of fans to Bernard Bottle. The video is really rare, I paid £40 for it, and now I discover there is a DVD. Bum! But its still amazing. I have seen it so much that when I now hear 'Lonely This Christmas' I expect a bauble to smash after the words "and an unlit Christmas tree" ! "he's Mr success, he's higher than high, he's sweeter than the sweetest cherry pie"

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!