Bernard and the Genie

1991

Comedy / Drama / Fantasy

6
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 74%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 74% · 50 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.2/10 10 1997 2K

london, england wish genie christmas

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Plot summary

Bernard Bottle, a mild mannered art buyer, is fired by his greedy boss, abandoned by his girlfriend and discovers a genie in an old bottle. The genie immediately embraces the modern world and helps Bernard on the side.

Director

Paul Weiland Photo
Paul Weiland

Top cast

Rowan Atkinson Photo
Rowan Atkinson as Charles Pinkworth
Alan Cumming Photo
Alan Cumming as Bernard Bottle
Andrée Bernard Photo
Andrée Bernard as Judy
Lenny Henry Photo
Lenny Henry as Josephus the Genie
480p.DVD
598.87 MB
718*480
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
1 hr 7 min
Seeds 34

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Prismark10 8 / 10

A genie in modern London

Like the film Elf, this BBC television film written by Richard Curtis could had been an annual Christmas programming fixture. However the BBC have never repeated it and has rather faded away from the collective memories.An early starring role for Alan Cumming who plays Bernard Bottle, a mild mannered art dealer fired by his ruthless, conniving boss played by Rowan Atkinson.At the same time he discovers that his girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend but he accidentally rubs an old lamp she gave him last Christmas and out pops a genie played by Lenny Henry.Lenny's genie owes less to the Arabian Nights as it mixes it up with the Biblical tale of Jesus. The laughs come from the chemistry between Cumming and Henry and the Genie discovering modern life almost 2000 years later as he eats ice cream, fast food, goes to the cinema watching action films.At the same time Bernard's old boss wants to discover his list of valuable paintings. Bernard and the Genie need to be one step ahead of him and the police, which requires a dash of time-wimey before it became popular in the re-launched Doctor Who.The film at 70 minutes does not feel too long but concise, it's not preachy which some Curtis films has a tendency to be. It is brisk family entertainment which after 20 years I enjoyed again with my young son. It is a contender as a classic.Unfortunately Richard Curtis made a big Hollywood reimagining in 2023 called Genie. It was poor.
Reviewed by IonicBreezeMachine 8 / 10

An overlooked holiday comedy from Richard Curtis with strong performances by Alan Cumming and Lenny Henry

During the holiday season, Art Dealer Bernard Bottle (Alan Cumming) is seemingly on top of the world having made a major London firm 50 million Pounds due to his findings. However when Bernard meets with his boss, Pinkworth (Rowan Atkinson) and voices his desire to give half the proceeds from the sales to elderly women he procured the works from, Pinkworth responds by firing Bernard and blacklisting him from the other art handling intermediaries. With his grim employment future, Bernard's day only gets worse when he finds that his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend and steals most of the possessions in Bernard's flat. When polishing an old oil lamp Bernard received as a gift, the act releases Josephus (Lenny Henry), a 2000 year old Arabian knife thrower who was imprisoned in the lamp by a vengeful sorcerer. Following some misunderstandings, Josephus and Bernard become friends with Bernard showing Josephus the marvels of the modern world while Josephus helps Bernard rebuild his shattered life.A small TV movie from 1991, the movie comes from director Paul Weiland in a massive comeback from his disastrous Bill Cosby vehicle Leonard Part 6 and writer Richard Curtis of Blackadder and Mr. Bean. Curtis was driven to write the fantasy comedy following a viewing of an Agatha Christie adaptation that left him depressed, and the end result was Bernard and the Genie. The movie takes a familiar but rich "wish fulfillment" premise and through the comic talent behind and in front of the camera results in an entertaining and endearing comedy with a festive core.The film marks Alan Cummings first major starring role, and Cumming deservedly received critical accolades for his performance as Bernard Bottle, a well intentioned man who finds himself fighting against backstabbing opportunists on both a personal and professional level with his only source of levity coming from elevator operator, Kepple, who often tells sad lies about his own life to cheer Bernard up in a very amusing portrayal by Denis Lill. Lenny Henry is very funny and energetic as Josephus the genie and makes a wonderful foil for the more down to earth Bernard with his exuberance and lust for life making him an endearing figure in the film. Both Henry and Cumming have great chemistry doing seemingly mundane activities by modern standards that from Josephus' point of view are revelatory. Rowan Atkinson is entertainingly despicable as Pinkworth, even if admittedly it recycles some of Atkinson's Blackadder persona, but in terms of how it fits into the movie it lends itself to some nice comic gags.The plot is pretty episodic with most of the movie consisting of relatively self-contained situations of Bernard and Josephus just going about their day. There's no real limit on the wishes with the only rule they establish being the wishes can't change someone's feelings nor is there much of a conflict driving the narrative. The movie is a very relaxed sit of these characters interacting with each other and because they're such charismatic and likable presences they really don't need to manufacture any conflicts or "nadirs" in the film to artificially inflate the drama.Bernard and the Genie is an enjoyable sit thanks to the strong writing by Richard Curtis, tight direction of Paul Weiland, and energy and charisma of its cast. Alan Cumming makes a strong debut as a leading man and Lenny Henry owns the scene with his comic energy. The movie is a great small scale character based comedy to put on during the seasons.
Reviewed by AlabamaWorley1971 8 / 10

Totally adorable!

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!
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