Bernard and the Genie (1991) (TV)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Paul Weiland

Writer:

Richard Curtis (writer)

Release Date:

13 December 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A genie is punished by an evil wizard by being confined to a lamp somewhere in Arabia. 2000 years later in England Bernard Bottle an art dealer...

Plot Keywords:

Genie | Wish | Repeated Event | Reverse Footage | Product Placement

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lenny Henry	...	Josephus the Genie
John Gabriel	...	Wizard
Alan Cumming	...	Bernard Bottle
Rowan Atkinson	...	Charles Pinkworth
Denis Lill	...	Frank Kepple (as Dennis Lill)
Beaux Bryant	...	Nurse
Kevin Allen	...	Kevin
Andrée Bernard	...	Judy (as Andree Bernard)
Melvyn Bragg	...	Himself
Janet Henfrey	...	Miss Purse
Marcia Ashton	...	Miss Temple
Sheila Latimer	...	Bernard's Mother
Sally Geoghegan	...	Waitress
Angela Clarke	...	Carrie (as Angie Clarke)
Bob Geldof	...	Himself

Runtime:

Argentina:70 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | UK:PG

Company:

AttaBoy

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Josephus takes Bernard flying on his magic carpet for the first time, he says "The real skill is in the landing". Supposedly they crash-land in a back alley full of bins and rubbish, creating a huge mess. However, the prop-explosion that blows up all the bins is visible because they are all neatly stacked at the first moment when the camera shot shows the alley where they "landed".

Quotes:

Bernard Bottle: Originally, it was supposed to celebrate the birth of this chap called Jesus Christ, who was born, well, about 2000 years ago.
Genie: Jesus, you say?
Bernard Bottle: Yeah.
Genie: But I knew this guy.
Bernard Bottle: You did not!
Genie: I did, I mean, what did he do to get so famous?
Bernard Bottle: Well, he turned out to be the Son of God.
Genie: No! I thought he was kidding.

Movie Connections:

References Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

An Unclaimed Bit of Genius

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.