Need a laugh? Haul out the hamster or guinea pig.

That seems to be the lesson learned from "Bolt" and, now, "Bedtime Stories," in which a guinea pig named Bugsy (for his supersize, computer-generated eyes) gets the biggest yuks in the movie -- even more than star Adam Sandler.

"Bedtime Stories," an adventure comedy that's lackluster on both of those fronts, stars Sandler as Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman. When his late father sold his funky motel, the buyer promised that little Skeeter would get the chance to run the place once he grew up.

Instead, he's taking orders from the wealthy germaphobic owner, Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths), and his obsequious manager, Kendall (Guy Pearce). But Skeeter's life starts to change when his estranged sister (Courteney Cox) asks Skeeter to watch her young son and daughter, keepers of the guinea pig, while she interviews for a job out of state.

Forced to be creative because the children have no television (oh, the humanity), Skeeter turns to the oldest, cheapest form of bedtime entertainment: storytelling.

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'Bedtime Stories'

2 stars = Mediocre
Ratings explained

• Starring: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell.
  
  
• Rating: PG for some mild rude humor and mild language
• Web site: disney.go.com/disneypictures

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The children warm to his tall tales, adding farfetched embellishments of their own. When Skeeter realizes that elements of the stories start to come true, he tries to steer them to make a promotion and other wishes come true.

"Bedtime Stories," directed by Adam Shankman ("Hairspray," "Cheaper by the Dozen 2"), features four bedtime stories set in a variety of times and locations, but the movie could have used a fifth or sixth. It feels underdeveloped, as if all the money went into the effects and too little into everything else, including punching up the script by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy.

The supporting cast includes Keri Russell as a teacher who shares baby-sitting duties with Skeeter, Lucy Lawless as a condescending hotel employee and Teresa Palmer as a blond party girl, paparazzi favorite and hotel heiress cut from the Paris Hilton mold.

The movie's biggest asset may be its PG rating, but that also means Sandler and Russell Brand, as a friend and waiter, cannot cut loose. Instead, they're saddled with jokes about Sir Buttkiss, a Booger Monster and the kid-friendly favorite, Bugsy.