"Bedazzled" tells of a tech support geek (need I say more?) who sells his soul to the devil (Hurley) for seven wishes which he attempts to use to get close to a girl at work (O'Connor). The flick is a situational comedy which takes the audience on a fun ride as Fraser's wishes turn him into one exaggerated comic-book-type caricature after another. A cute flick sans slapstick, pratfalls, and jokes, "Bedazzled" offers lots of outrageous situations, some sentimental moments, and a whiff of philosophy. A fun watch with a cute ending, lots of eye candy for the guys, and Fraser doing what he does best playing a big, naive, smiling guy.
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SmileysWorld13 October 2001The makers of Bedazzled were not out to make a classic comedy,they were simply trying to make us laugh.Their mission was a successful one.Bedazzled is full of laughs and great character acting by Brendan Fraser and Frances O'Connor.After many forgettable roles in several forgettable films,Brendan Fraser has really graduated into one of cinemas' big time players in just the last couple of years.As I said,Bedazzled will probably not go down as a comedy classic,it's just your basic comedy filled with laughs from start to finish,and that's good enough for me.It would be a worthy addition to the comedy section of anyone's home library.Thumbs up!
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Smells_Like_Cheese31 August 2004I never saw the original "Bedazzled", so I can't compaire really. To tell the truth, I didn't even know there was an original. But I thought this "Bedazzled" was very good. Elizabeth Hurly makes a great devil. She's sexy, funny, and intelligent. Brandon Frasier does a good job as well with his stereotypical roles. Caveman, tough guy, and now a nerd. Nothing oscar material. But he always does his best, despite that I think he'll never get out of these roles. "Bedazzled" has some funny moments. I would recommend this if it's a rainy day. Other than that, it's nothing too special you'd make time for. But I would recommend it.
7/10 -
Shiva-1119 October 2000Wealth. Power. Admiration. They all sound pretty enticing. Indeed many people spend their life in pursuit of these or similar goals and are willing to sacrifice anything and everything in the process. But what if there was an easy way to do it, say, selling your soul? You're not really using it anyways .As the saying goes, the day I decided to do it there'd probably be a glut on the market.
Elliot Richards is, for lack of a better word, a dork. Relegated to the most dreaded of worker hells - tech support - he is a social pariah. Mocked by his colleagues, he spends his time trying to be cool and is hopelessly in love with one of his co-workers who doesn't even know that he exists. While lamenting his lot in life he casually mentions that he would give anything to have his beloved Allison. Enter the Princess of Darkness, stage left.
Although the basics between this movie and the 1967 classic of the same name are similar, there are so many differences (styles of humor, characters, plot, etc) that comparisons are pointless. So I won't even try. Bedazzled offers something so few comedies do these days - laughs, and lots or them, without relying on endless juvenile scatological gags. I thoroughly enjoyed the physical transformations that Elliot, Allison, and his cohorts undergo (several of which are amazing) each time he makes a wish. The spins on the wishes are especially amusing: for example, when Elliot wishes for power and wealth, he fails to take consider the how, and wakes up as a cuckolded Colombian drug lord whose kingdom is quickly collapsing around him. Elliot soon discovers that when dealing with the devil - surprise, surprise - nothing is, as it seems.
I have liked Brendan Fraser since his role in "Encino Man". Since then, he has proven himself capable of doing both schtick ("The Mummy") and serious roles ("Gods and Monsters"). With this part he shows just how versatile he is: rather than one role, he takes on seven, and does so admirably (I particularly enjoyed sensitive guy - I was laughing so hard my side hurt). Elizabeth Hurley is deliciously wicked in a role that she was born to play (if reports about her are true.) and it appears that she enjoyed herself. Her spin on the ultimate temptress is hilarious and personally, I'll take leather-clad vixens over slimy snakes any day. Francis O'Connor, brings the same verve and versatility to Allison that she displayed in "Mansfield Park", although here she is less subdued. The supporting cast provides the finishing touch rounding out the film nicely.
Although it didn't dazzle me, I was greatly amused. -
mdholt20 October 2000This movie was like making a good sandwich with Wonder Bread. The beginning is slow, and I didn't like the end, but the middle was funny as hell.
It takes a long time for this movie to really get started. Elliot Richardson is such a loser at the beginning that it is painful to watch. He isn't even one of those lovable losers like Rob Schneider's copy man. He is a painfully annoying loser. His office mates are probably the biggest jerks that anyone has ever had the misfortune of working with.
Just about the time I was getting really uncomfortable watching such annoying characters the movie finally starts. Once Elliot meets the devil the movie gets pretty good. Parts are a lot like `George of The Jungle.' There are a lot of really corny lines, and site gags. Brendan Fraser does those type of lines really well, and I really enjoyed them.
Elizabeth Hurley has been panned for her performance, but I thought she did quite well. She seemed a perfect fit for the devil, and I could really picture her as a devilish vixen toying with Elliot's mind. A lot like Lucy holding the ball for Charlie Brown, the devil gets Elliot's trust only to pull everything out from under him. The idea of the devil being a vixen works better than an old man, but Peter Cook is a better actor than Elizabeth Hurley. Anyway, just being Elizabeth Hurley is worth a few bucks right there.
The movie built well on itself. Each wish was a little faster paced and funnier than the last. Right as his wishes were coming to an end I was thinking he was close to a classic.
Then the end came. The last half hour of this thing turns from a corny comedy (a very good one at that) to a sappy fable (and not the greatest either). It wasn't awful, it just was a bit cookie cutter and corporate. Everything was put into its nice little package, and everyone feels good at the end.
All in all, not a bad way to spend two hours. -
louhitch29 July 2023The basketball player is Brendan's best performance! The constant sweat bit during the sports interview is hilarious! I never knew BF could be such a great comedic actor, the various characters he plays in all the different lifes he had wished for had me laughing out loud. The film as a whole isn't that great for me as BF isn't believable as a loser tbh and The Devil was a bit of a boring, face value character for me. At the end The Devil had no real reason or need for her actions at all, other than 'thats just what the devil does?'. The Devil's (Elizabeth Hurley's) outfits are brilliant though and the regular outfit changes just for the sake of it were fun. I did really like the ending though. Not just a fake one either, the ending and overall film message actually holds true meaning to it = there is heaven and the hell right here in the world, its up to you which you choose.
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BA_Harrison8 January 2016Elizabeth Hurley, still best known for her '90s relationship with Hugh Grant, and Brendan Fraser, star of Furry Vengeance, team up for this 2000 remake of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook's acerbic 1967 comedy Bedazzled: it sounds like a recipe for disaster, but even though the style of comedy is far removed from the original, Bedazzled 2000 succeeds in delivering its fair share of laughs, as well plenty of sexiness courtesy of Hurley.
Fraser plays social pariah Elliot, who finds it hard to make friends and can only dream of a relationship with the apple of his eye, work colleague Alison (Frances O'Connor). When Elliot says that he would do anything to have Alison in his life, the Devil (Hurley) seizes the opportunity and offers the luckless loser seven wishes in exchange for his soul. What follows is a series of comedic episodes that see Fraser adopting numerous different guises, allowing the actor to surprise the audience with his versatility (Fraser is almost unrecognisable at times), while Hurley is predictably wooden, but distracts the viewer by slipping into several very sexy outfits for the connecting interludes.
Of course, the devil being the devil, none of Elliot's wishes go according to plan, which leads to some very funny situations for the hapless dork, all of which are confidently handled by director Harold Ramis. This being a Hollywood film, it all works out well in the end for Elliot, who beats the princess of darkness at her own game thanks to his selfless heart, before finding love, not with Alison, but with her dorky doppelganger who just happens to have moved in next door.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for giving me the phrase 'small, wet, salty badges of emotional truth' and for Hurley's amazing array of hotter-than-hell get-ups, which include sexy nurse, sexy traffic warden, sexy cop, sexy teacher, sexy cheerleader, sexy bikini, sexy angel, sexy lawyer, and, in the deleted 'rock star' scene, sexy maid. -
Wulfstan1023 March 2005A lot of people have criticized this film and not without reason, but I still find it pretty fun with some really very funny parts. It certainly is better than many of Fraser's other comedies, but can't hold a candle to Blast from the Past.
It is not exactly original or brilliant, but it basically succeeds at being entertaining. Some of the scenarios in which Fraser's character found himself are really very funny and work quite well at achieving their comic effect, even though a number of parts aren't all that funny or intelligent.
The film is not without its valuable message, either, even though it is an ancient and very well-worn one. The whole point about simply trying to be who you are, not wishing for the world, riches, etc., is still relevant and meaningful, giving the film at least some additional depth. Thus, it is a little bit (however little it is) more than purely mindless entertainment. -
pachl26 January 2006I originally saw this movie because it stars Brendan Fraser, an actor who can't seem to make a bad movie, and often makes great movies, such as "Blast From the Past".
The big surprise was Elizabeth Hurley. As certain as Vivien Leigh was meant to play Scarlett O'Hara, no one could have done a better job playing The Devil...in this case a sly, brilliantly cunning, sexy devil who playfully torments Brendan by dooming each of his wishes with unintended, nasty surprises. She effortlessly leads him along like a puppy dog on a leash.
Besides her comedic wit, (and some clever writing) I would be remiss not to mention that Elizabeth Hurley looks perfect, absolutely perfect, in every scene. Her clipped, refined British accent is the aural equivalent of a film shot on Kodachrome.
Bedazzled exudes a positive, good-natured warmth, and is proof that comedy doesn't have to depend on silly sophomoric antics, pratfalls, or foul language.
ADDENDUM January 10, 2008. After two years, I have no idea if anyone has ever read this review. Even if you don't like it, please give me a thumbs up or thumbs down, just to let me know someone read it. -
jboothmillard24 June 2005This is quite an amusing comedy about the life of an ordinary guy who has his life changed. Ordinary and unpopular Elliot Richards (Brendan Fraser) does not have any real friends, and now he is in love with a work mate Alison Gardener (Frances O'Connor). He tells God "I would do anything to have that girl", and instead, he gets his wish from The Devil (Elizabeth Hurley). She says he has seven wishes (like seven deadly sins) if he sells his soul. He also has a dialler to phone 666 (the Devil's sign) if his wish isn't going the way he wants. Throughout, he wishes to be many different personalities, including (unintentionally) a powerful Spanish drug dealer, an overly-sensitive nature lover, a professional basketball player with a "little" problem, a great book writer who turns out to be gay and President Abrham Lincoln, all wishes certain to have something go wrong, it's the Devil, what do you expect? When he gets to his final wish he does not want it and he eventually gets let off after a non-personal wish. In the end, it turns out it is not Alison that he was to be with, but a lookalike with dark hair named Nicole (yes, it's still O'Connor). Also starring Orlando Jones as Daniel, Paul Adelstein as Bob, Toby Huss as Jerry and Gabriel Casseus as Elliot's Cellmate. It may be cheesy at times, and not have the biggest laughs, but it's still fun to watch. Good!
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Leopard Gang17 May 2002see the original. for the love of god, see the original. this...this wasn't a film, it was some sort of cruel joke played on us by the gods of cinema.
this "film" is a perfect example of the decline of cinema in recent years. and don't think i'm an old coot who just thinks that everything was better back when and kids today and all that, i mean, i'm 20 years old.
what i mean is, look at the original. it's subtle, above all it's subtle. look at the new one. all subtlety is gone. brendan fraser wouldn't know subtlety if it chopped his head off.
i tried, i tried so hard to watch this "movie" with an open mind and not compare it too much to the original, just to judge it on its own merits. i couldn't. it insisted on taking scenes and dialogue directly from the original, but removing what made the older one funny, and giving it a whole new interpretation that took any kind of humor, timing, or, as i've said, subtlety, completely out of it all.
see the original. for the love of god, see the original. -
LebowskiT10008 February 2003No, this isn't the best or funniest comedy in the world, but I certainly enjoyed it. There is a fair amount of really good comedy in the film to keep you entertained. ...And of course there's Elizabeth Hurley...need I say more?
The story is a fun one and quite the fantasy, but nonetheless, it's entertaining. While not being anything terribly profound, this film definitely has a point to make, be happy with yourself and only you can make things happen, don't rely on others for your happiness.
The acting in this film is very good. Brendan Fraser struts his acting talent in this film quite nicely, playing virtually 5 or 6 characters throughout the film. Brendan really is a talented actor and should get some notice for his role in this film. Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein, and Toby Huss also deserve a great deal of notice for their work in this film, all three of them play various types of characters in the film and do it quite nicely. Elizabeth Hurley and her ever-changing wardrobe should be reason enough for any guy to watch this film. She looks nothing short of fantastic in every scene. Frances O'Connor was a nice choice for the part of Alison / Nicole (also playing more than one role very nicely).
All in all, this is a fun, cute movie with some really good comedy. I would recommend this film to anyone that likes those types of film, or is just a fan of one of the actors or director Harold Ramis. I hope you enjoy the film, thanks for reading,
-Chris -
nunyerbiz27 October 2000Bedazzled has a basic "Be careful what you wish for" premise. Brendan Fraser plays Elliot. He is a relatively annoying cubicle dweller who has few friends and no love life. One night at a bar he meets up with who else but Satan herself! Yadda Yadda, etc etc, and he signs away his soul for seven wishes. As you may expect, his wishes turn out to have some fatal flaw that is exploited by the devil and comic hi-jinks ensue.
While this movie isn't going to blow anyone away, it was definately above average. Brendan Fraser did an admirable job playing multiple 'characters' during the wish sequences. Although his base character introduced at the beginning of the film may have been a bit over the top. I think it's his best performance since "School Ties". Elizabeth Hurley provides little more than eye candy as the devil. The supporting cast of Elliot's friends is also quite good as they too travel with him throughout the wish sequences.
I only had two major complaints about the plot. First, Elliot never learns from his mistakes. He continues time and again to make very open-ended and generic wishes. By the third or fourth wish you can pretty much predict the outcome. Second, the love interest, played by Frances O'Conner isn't really defined enough early on. It seems the only reason she is the love interest is because she's a hot blond who happens to work at the same company as Elliot.
If you take the movie for what it is, you'll enjoy yourself. However, I feel Bedazzled could have been so much better had Elliot not been so dumb. A battle of wits between Elliot (making wishes) and the devil (sabotaging the wishes) would have given the film a great added angle. -
JimKelly13 September 2002The original 1967 "Bedazzled" is not a film that needs remaking--it's simply one of the most brilliant comedies ever committed to celluloid. The only thing that Ramis & Co. seem to have accomplished in this exercise is completely subverting everything that makes the original such a pleasure to watch.
Dudley Moore's bumbling yet endearing short-order cook is replaced by Brendan Fraser as a genuinely annoying computer geek--honestly, I don't know why we're supposed to like Fraser's character; I couldn't stand to be around him for a minute. Where the original "Bedazzled" ended on a beautifully dismal note, this edition opted to go with wishy-washy optimism. And perhaps worst of all, every bit of the biting British wit of the 1967 film has been replaced by a deep and abiding Californian sappiness.
Go see the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore original--don't waste your time with this mess. -
G-Man-2520 October 2000The 1967 original, starring Dudley Moor and Peter Cook and directed by Stanley Donen was a droll dark comedy that bombed when it was first released to theatres but has developed a very strong cult following over the years. This 2000 version, directed by Harold Ramis is not so much a remake as a latter-day re-imagining of the story. Aside from the basic premise, the two films share little else in common. This new version is a wacky, fast-paced farce that makes up in some giddily amusing moments what it lacks in true wickedness.
Brendan Fraser is perfectly cast as the hapless computer tech who makes a deal with Satan; granted seven wishes in exchange for eventual possession of his soul, we witness each wish he makes as his life becomes a series of colorful and very funny misadventures. Some first-rate make-up and special effects transform Fraser and his world every time he changes wishes. Elizabeth Hurley is extremely fetching and quite likable as the embodiment of Satan, although I wish she'd showed a bit more evilness than glee in her characterization.
All in all, a very entertaining movie that, of course, leaves the door open for a sequel. Bring it on! -
I watched this film with low expectations, thinking it was just going to be Elizabeth Hurley (who I always think is underrated) in lots of revealing outfits.
And yes, there is a fair bit of that, but there is more. This is actually a very funny film with some nice messages along the way.
Good fun, well worth checking out. -
Tweekums21 November 2016Elliot Richardson is not the most dynamic of protagonists; he is the sort of guy who tries too hard to be popular making him more annoying than likable and the woman he loves, co-worker Alison, is barely aware that he exists. Then one day he says he'd do anything if she would like him the next thing he knows a stunning woman, who claims to be the Devil, offers him seven wishes in exchange for his soul. He doesn't take much persuasion. Unfortunately while his wishes are granted they aren't quite granted how he'd hoped; for example he wants to be rich, powerful and married to Alison he becomes a drug lord, she is having an affair and hates him. The other wishes are similarly disastrous and ultimately he realises that perhaps making selfish wishes isn't a good way to get what you want.
Having not seen the original version I can't say how this compares. Brendan Fraser is decent enough as protagonist Elliot; unfortunately the character is neither particularly likable nor memorable. Liz Hurley stands out far more as possibly the sexiest version of The Devil on screen helped by costumes that show off her attributes without going beyond what is acceptable in a 12 Certificate film. The story is fun enough but very episodic; each wish leads to what is effectively a short sketch. There are enough funny moments spread throughout the film even if some of them are a bit obvious. The ending is a bit twee but not enough to spoil the film. Overall this was fun enough but not really a must see. -
mjw230516 February 2006A remake of the 1967 Classic with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. Replaced with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley respectively this version fails to be as clever or as sinister as the original, but it still entertains and Elizabeth Hurley is the sexiest devil you'll ever see.
Brendan Fraser (Elliot Richards) is a hapless geek, who dreams of only Alison Gardner (Frances O'Conner) and with the help of the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) he has 7 wishes to try and get her, the trouble is the Devil has other plans.
Pretty funny with some nice ideas Bedazzled is good, but not as good as the original.
6/10 -
coyote52130 April 2001It's hard to believe that the director who made the terrific "Groundhog Day" and the clever, and sometimes very funny "Analyze This" , along with the wonderful actor from "The Scout" and "Gods and Monsters" could have made this mess. Not one joke (there really is only one joke here, misstated wishes) works, and nothing plays out.
To make matters worse, there is the jaw-dropping performance by Ms. Hurley. Does she really think that bouncing up and down when she walks ( and even sometimes when she's supposed to be standing still) is funny or sexy?
It's really not Brendan Fraser's fault, and it's not the first time that he's been seen over-playing in a desperate attempt to make unfunny material work (see "dudley do-right" for a textbook example of desperation), but what was going on with Mr. Ramis? Did he just give up on the project at some point?
They should have burned this -
ccthemovieman-128 January 2007Here's a fun film with a number of good laughs. It is stupid? Yeah, in parts. Is the theology sound? Hardly, but there was more truth than fiction uttered in this film, believe it or not. Is the Devil made to look attractive? Well, yeah, I'd say Elizabeth Hurley is pretty attractive!
The beginning is the best part of the film, and the end - with a dumb New Age message - is the worst. Along the way, the dumb Brendan Fraser's "Elliott Richards" learns some valuable lessons in his battle with the Devil. For selling his soul, so to speak, he gets seven wishes and we witness how he handles, or mishandles, these wishes. Much of it is pretty funny. Fraser is not a bad. He can play these goofy roles (i.e. "George Of The Jungle" and he can get serious and be effective, too, as in "The Quiet American.")
Overall, it's good lightweight entertainment. Don't expect much, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. At least, that's the way I found it. -
Servo-1115 November 2001The British style of the original Bedazzled is, quite frankly, wacky, and that's an understatement. This version is more streamlined and glitzy in Hollywood language and it still works -- quite well, in fact. I enjoyed Elizabeth Hurley's Devil and thought that she'd make a great counterpart to Peter Cook. Perhaps she's Mrs. Satan and wants to work outside the home while Peter is off damning others to Hell? (BTW, I thought the Peter/Dudley dobies were a nice touch.)
Brendan Fraser does his usual dopey-guy routine and his alter ego stories have varying results from less funny (the athlete) to the screamingly hysterical (the overly sensitive dolphin and sunset obsessed guy). But overall, he's a really pleasing performer.
This movie is a nice and inoffensive way to spend 90 minutes. But for the dry British wit that is missing, definitely make sure you see the original! -
Spleen20 July 2001The credits include the following line: `special thanks to Stanley Donen'. For what? Not complaining? If this film hadn't been released, Donen's original "Bedazzled" might have been re-released, and I might have got a chance to see it. I'm sure it's better.
Peter Cook's devil in the original was (by all accounts) not just a plot device, but a character. Elizabeth Hurley's devil is no more than a granter of wishes and a changer of costumes. All the same I think I preferred her to Brendan Fraser, because I at least had SOME idea what kind of character she was meant to be playing. She was playing the Devil. She may not have had much personality, but at least she didn't CHANGE personalities whenever she changed costumes, as Fraser did.
There's a scene at the end where Elliot (the Brendan Fraser character, the dupe) finally stands up to the office workers who had been making his life hell. You can only buy that scene by forgetting the start of the movie. They didn't make his life hell - HE made THEIR lives hell. He continually forced himself on all of them with his inane blather and his almost sickening craving to be accepted; and while they all loathed him, they were never openly rude or hurtful. (Until the end, when one of them made fun of him simply so that he could be punished for doing so.)
We're never sure if Fraser is meant to be a geek, a doormat, or an everyman. If he's meant to be all three at once, the script fails to establish this, either. When he's thrust into strange situations it's never as funny as it might have been, since don't know where his reactions are coming from. Treat the disjointed story as sketch comedy, though, and it fares little better: the jokes aren't imaginative enough. Take that opening sequence, in which the devil "freeze-frames" randomly chosen individuals and we see tags like "good", "evil" and "drinks from the carton". Unfortunately, "drinks from the carton" is about as clever as it gets. -
TuckMN1 November 2000Even though Elizabeth Hurley plays The Devil she is a goddess.
Brendan Fraser is certainly adequate to the job of playing Elliot Richards but Ms. Hurley steals the film.
She is perfectly cast as the `Princess of Darkness' and seems to truly enjoy exposing her darker side.
Brendan Fraser turns in a real acting tour d'force playing eight different characters. Possibly because of all the widely divergent characters he is playing he is not truly great in any of them though he is hysterically funny due primarily to the superb script by Larry Gelbart (of television's M*A*S*H fame), Harold Ramis (who also directed) and Peter Tolan from the original screen play by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
The Devil's demons (which appear in nearly every scene in one form or another) are great supporting roles played by Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein and Toby Huss. They provide just the right touch of devilish humour, charm and wit. Another bit of casting genius and writing is Gabriel Casseus as Elliot's cellmate who expounds on the soul and is later seen playing chess with The Devil (who cheats, of course).
In fact all of the supporting characters were perfectly cast and brilliantly executed.
The script was so tight and well written that it was almost actor-proof. It was even able to carry a moral message without slamming the audience in the head with it.
To paraphrase an idea from the film you get out of life [and this film] what you put into it.
This was an all-around good film with good direction, good jokes, good acting, excellent make-up (especially on Brendan Fraser by Ben Nye, Jr.) and a good yet unobtrusive score. I recommend it highly. -
Hey_Sweden24 December 2014Elliot (Brendan Fraser) is a nerdy office drone who his co-workers try to avoid as often as possible. He adores another of the employees, Alison (Frances O'Connor), and more than anything would really like to be with her. One night, a sinfully sexy Satan (Elizabeth Hurley) comes to him with a proposal. If he promises to sell his soul to her, she'll grant him seven wishes. He wishes for some of the obvious things - wealth, prosperity, knowledge, physical prowess - but she's sneaky enough to give all of the various scenarios an unfortunate catch.
As co-written and directed by the late Harold Ramis, this 21st century update of the fondly remembered Dudley Moore / Peter Cook comedy never generates any great comedy fireworks. At its best, it's just sort of mildly amusing. It can't really sustain itself for a full hour and 33 minutes, with the more entertaining gags weighted near the beginning. At least it espouses some reasonable themes about selflessness and the idea that life is what we make it.
What really drives the 2000 version of "Bedazzled" is an engaging star duo. Fraser, who'd proved his comedic chops in the past, does his able best to sell the material from sequence to sequence. You could say that he gives 110%. Hurley is extremely enticing, especially with the constant costume changes. She looks especially fetching in the cheerleader and cop outfits. O'Connor is perfect as the object of Frasers' desires, while the supporting cast - Miriam Shor, Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein, Toby Huss - gets to strut their stuff in multiple roles. Ramis casts his repertory player Brian Doyle-Murray as a priest.
Overall, this is likable but never really inspired.
Six out of 10. -
amck11 November 2003Remaking the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore original is a dangerous proposal at best and this one fails in so many ways. First, all the philosophical and wickedly delicious satire that grounds the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore original are ruthlessly thrown out like yesterday's bathwater. There are no conversations, much less witty or intelligent conversations, about the nature of God, the Devil, and man. Either the writers were too dim to *get it*, didn't think the audience would put up with an intellectual dimension or most likely just couldn't top the original script.
Second, I can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to cast a woman as the Devil, much less a beautiful one. The whole point of Fraser's character's bargain with the Devil was to win a girl he was too shy to approach. If you don't see the incongruity of conspiring with a woman who looks like Elizabeth Hurley to win some other woman, I can't explain it to you. Sure enough, even the writers of this dreck woke up one morning and realized, "Hey, Elliot's quite likely to notice that the Devil is more attractive than any other option on his plate!", necessitating a scene where Hurley changes into a HUGE DEVIL, complete with warts, yellow eyes, and the full range of big-budget Special Effects, to squelch THAT idea.
Finally, as another reviewer has noted, Elliot's wishes are just scattershot semi-random stabs at getting himself into a situation he can live with. There's no successive refinement of the wishes to take into account what happened earlier, thus no true matching of wits (the traditional essence of Faust tales) between the Devil and Elliot.
The sets are opulent and the costumes exquisite. Big production values all around. Unfortunately for this empty shell of an imitation, Cook and Moore's original proves yet again that money isn't necessary to make a good movie, but brains are.