Bernard and the Genie (1991)

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

Writer:

Richard Curtis

Stars:

Lenny Henry, John Gabriel, Alan Cumming

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
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

Storyline

An art dealer befriends a genie whom he frees from a lamp which he has been imprisoned with by an evil wizard for 2000 years for the accidental death of the evil wizard's daughter when the art dealer is fired by his greedy and corrupt boss.

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Plot Keywords:

genie | wish | magical carpet | english subtitles in original | wish fulfillment | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bernard i duh

Company Credits

Production Co:

AttaBoy,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),Miramax

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The two films Bernard and Josepheus watch at the cinema are Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).

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Goofs

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".

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Quotes

[after trying ice cream for the first time]
Genie: It's really cold and it tastes exactly of strawberries!

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Connections

References Dixon of Dock Green (1955)

User Reviews

Simple, sweet, superb

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.