SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Red-Barracuda This Harold Ramis movie is a remake of a 60's cult movie which I have never actually seen. It's based on the Faust legend where we have a terminally annoying man who is in love with a girl who works in the same office as him but who barely knows he exists. After a humiliating encounter with her he inadvertently casts up the devil who grants him seven wishes in his quest to win the girl over. The set-up in this one results in a film with a very episodic structure. With the central character wishing to be different in various ways which leads him to be reincarnated as a South American drug lord, a man intensely in touch with his sensitive side, a colossal basketball player, a respected writer, and the President of the USA. The fun comes from the fact that the devil has sneaked in a catch to every new persona and this inevitably leads to disasters for the central character and some hilarity for us. And that's the thing, it's actually a genuinely laugh out loud funny movie on several occasions, some standout moments being the over-sensitive man unable to avoid crying at a sunset or the half-witted giant basketball player who can't seem to string a sentence together without saying 'pretty good' while sweat literally pours from his head. Brendan Fraser is key to the comedy here. He puts in a genuinely good comic turn in a role that allows him to play a variety of characters with the help of some amusing make-up.So far so good. But I thought I would devote the whole final paragraph to the actual best thing about Bedazzled and that can be described in two words - Elizabeth Hurley. Honest to goodness, her performance as the devil is so incredibly seductive its bordering on being criminal. This astronomically gorgeous woman pops up throughout the course of the movie in an array of mind-bogglingly provocative costumes (proving conclusively that it isn't just gay men who can appreciate excessive costume changes). Hurley puts in an extremely sexy performance without stripping off at all which was quite an achievement all things considered. I really like girls with English accents and Hurley's posh voice was simply the icing on this particular cake for yours truly. She isn't a gifted actress but she does all right with comedy roles and this one, needless to say, suits her down to a tee in every conceivable way. Despite its other good qualities, if you made the decision to watch this film for the sole reason of watching our Liz in full throttle, I would understand.

Scott LeBrun Elliot (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.

Marc Israel If the Devil granted you seven wishes for your soul, what would you wish for? Would you even consider it? Despite the obvious message and predictable end results, which any moron can figure out without watching this film, I come back to the "Bedazzled" every so often for Brendan Frasiers little parades and Elizabeth Hurleys sex kitten routine. This is a fun series of episodes that hit more often than they miss, which is something for remake comedies. The special effects seem to be tritely coordinated which was insulting, as was some of the over the top (and not funny) stereotyped humor involving the episode where our IT nerd is made into an intelligent homosexual. The basketball wish played out well, but our desired lady went completely juvenile in the penis references. For such a sexually driven movie, Harold Ramos certainly steered away from the vault of humor that could have made this a memorable comedy instead of a predictable gag film.

longcooljolie This movie is actually a remake of a 1967 movie by the same name starring Dudley Moore but I have never seen that one so will just discuss this version on its own.What other reviewers seldom mention is that the movie is an ensemble comedy, with a core group of five actors playing roles in all of the different segments that reflect Elliot's wishes. By now everyone knows the basic premise: a devil appears to a dweeby young man in the form of a beautiful woman and grants him seven wishes.This is Elizabeth Hurley's best performance ever, with her delightfully clipped British accent and stunning physical beauty coaxed along to perfection by director Harold Ramis. As another reviewer has stated, she deftly leads Elliot along like a puppy on a leash.The writing is also great in that it builds on the viewer's expectations. For a guy struggling along in a service sector job and pining after a cute girl who works for the same company, well duh...of course he's going to wish that he's rich and powerful and married to her. And the devil gives him exactly what he wished for, with hilarious results! When that wish blows up in his face (quite literally), of course he's going to re-work the wish so that Allison loves him and that he is a soulful, sensitive type. The devil grants his wish, with even more hilarious results.And so it goes for the rest of acts one and two.Congratulations to the makeup and special effects team because they transform Elliot into a Columbian drug lord, a freckle faced flower child and a seven and a half foot tall basketball star, among other things. The lead actress playing Allison also shows a variety of different looks and personalities in her embodiment in the wishes.While much of the action and situations is over-the-top, the movie cannot be considered a farce because it is all deftly resolved in act 3. The ending is plausible and satisfying. Farces also don't usually succeed in making fun of the NBA, private school education, and famous American presidents in the same movie.In all, it's a fun way to spend an hour and a half!