NoTripod Bernard and the Genie (1991)(BBC-TV) Available on VHS and Region 1 DVDRowan Atkinson is in this strange BBC-TV Christmas movie, but for only 5 or so scenes. But what scenes they are. Atkinson is truly in Blackadder territory as he plays the CEO of a large rare art sales firm. Every single word uttered, facial expression and body language movement by Atkinson is truly a throwback to the truly despicable Lord Edmund Blackadder from the Second Blackadder series "Blackadder II" (1986). Take a look at the DVD cover (not the VHS) here at IMDb, ebay or Amazon and see if you don't agree.Yes there are bits about Christmas and a magical genie in this truly strange cobbled together mess, so don't think you are going to be enthralled with a warm-hearted Christmas favourite, because you are most assuredly not.See this movie for the 5 minutes of Rowan Atkinson RUINING the Christmas of a loyal and true worker, his conniving plans ala Lord Edmund and his unfortunate comeuppance. OK. I rated this movie 10 STARS. That is for the Rowan Atkinson contributions, which I admit are essential to the plot, however sparse. Judge my review on on these terms only. Get ye to a video shoppe posthaste and have a short visit with the great Lord Edmund Blackadder.AtomicVideo

sweetartcat This is one of the worst movies I've seen in very long time. I watch 5 movies or more each week and this is truly dreadful. The film quality is very grainy, camera work is lousy, editing is so bad I couldn't follow it in some places, script is horrendous, acting is over-the-top stupid, story is marginal at best...It's just plain awful. Were people paid to give this movie 9's and 10's in review? There can be no other explanation. Either that, or everyone saw this as a kid before they developed any taste what-so-ever.I feel bad because I asked my local library to purchase a copy based on IMDb's comments. Now I might have to forget to return it so no one else gets tricked into watching it. Please stop the site abuse from phony reviews!!

chris411-2 Wow. When I first saw this movie, I have NEVER heard of it. By reading other people's comments, I am not alone. The only preconception I had was that it would be one of those obscure, goofy, and generally bad "genie" movies.And then the movie starts, takes your preconceptions, and turns them inside out before ripping them apart. Now that's what I like in a movie!

Trout-6 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.