Bedazzled

Remaking 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.

The 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.

Once again a typical sneak religious American movie. Everything "bad" in contest is wrong! My God don't know why Liz did this movie. She is a Liberal an pro Gay an pro a World without religious mess. This is a awful movie. (I think that FOX NEWS has payed for it) LOL. Its so clear that this Movie are ordered from some kind of Christian right wing peeps. But If U r into this kinda crap, feel free. Kinda a movie for Bill R an all the peeps at Fox an the right wing. And also the Fake religious folks who loves to see a Story about the Devil! LOL LOL

The main problem with this version of "Bedazzled" is that it wants to be loved. The Peter Cook/Dudley Moore original had a cynical bite that is completely missing here. It was also concerned not just with the schlemiel's wishes, but with what makes the Devil tick. Why does he do what he does? What's his relationship with God? Unfortunately, that movie's viewpoint that God is generally far more callous and satanic than Satan is not even hinted at here. That being said, this version does what it wants to do very well. Elizabeth Hurley is hot and Brendan Fraser again proves to be a likable and versatile actor. He also convinced me: you can believe Dudley Moore as an unnoticed little shnook. But Brendan Fraser??? Well, he does it. This is a good (safe) American version of an acerbic British classic. It is well worth seeing (at matineé prices.) I just hope this means that the original will become available on DVD now. *That* one is a keeper.

The Faust legend is a robust story. Although selling one's soul to the Devil is serious stuff, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore managed to make a light-hearted movie of it in 'Bedazzled' back in the swinging sixties. Here, a featherweight Hollywood director Harold Ramis ('Caddyshack,' 'Ghostbusters', Groundhog Day') has remade it, shifting the location from London to San Francisco. However an English actor, Elizabeth Hurley, still plays the Devil , this time tempting a nerdish Brendan Fraser. The story is a collection of linked episodes as Brendan tries out various fantasies, which all come with a catch eg 'rich and powerful?' Try Columbian drug lord. With each wish he pursues his fellow worker Alison, (Frances O'Connor) whom he has admired from afar for years, but always something goes wrong. Altruism saves the day, and the Devil is vanquished, but I think it would have been a lot more fun if Brendan had gone off with her (the Devil that is) instead. Elizabeth Hurley is not a great actor (Joanna Lumley would have been much better) but this part suits her fairly well. She plays it like a cruise director with a limited range of emotions, but up front enough to be engaging. The part is almost too big for her and she doesn't have the support of Pride, Lust, Avarice and the rest as Peter Cook did in the 1967 film. Brendan Fraser is a fine actor with a good range and does the cameos required here with considerable skill. This film is pretty light, frothy and forgettable, but once or twice the voice of Pete and Dud comes thought the script to reminds us that those consummate comics had a tip or two about life and living. Your soul may not be yours to sell, but Heaven and Hell are here on earth, and where you go is largely up to you. Alas, Pete and Dud are gone, but their work still has the power to amuse. This is a pretty flabby re-make, but Hurley and Fraser are effective and some of the comic spirit is still there.

A 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.

The 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!

Why remake this film? It would seem to me that the only reason would be if the first incarnation suffered in some way. Although seeing it today, the only flaw the original 'Bedazzled' has is that it is outdated by our modern lifestyles. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore made a very funny team back in the sixties and their version of 'Bedazzled' really out-performs the remake. Even the love interest (Eleanor Bron) had more personality in the original. I recommend seeing the 1967 'Bedazzled' if you are over the age of thirty and leaving this new one for kids who don't know any better. Both films are about a misfit (Moore in the original, Brendan Fraser here) who is unhappy and lonely in life. Along comes the Devil (Cook in the original, Elizabeth Hurley here) who grants him seven wishes in exchange for his soul. (The whole idea is itself based on a Faust legend from 400 years ago.) Sure, Hurley is gorgeous and more pleasing to the eye than Peter Cook, but she doesn't have the truly demonic disposition required to carry this role off. Cook had a mean streak throughout the first film that made you believe he was rotten. He also had the seven deadly sins around him as his helpers to punctuate what was happening to Moore's character. The Devil had his own agenda in the original. Even the ending of the 1967 film was far superior to this sappy denouement. The elements they should have worked on updating here are the wishes themselves. The efforts of Fraser's character should have focussed on refining what he wished for to adjust for judgment errors in his past wishes. Instead, he just makes knee-jerk wishes that turn out terrible and wasteful. In fact his very first wish had more stipulations than successive wishes. When the deal is first struck, he is skeptical yet thoughtful. He words his wishes carefully. By the second wish, he forgot what went wrong the first time and tries to correct it by overcompensating. A character like Fraser's Elliot would have truly put some thought into each wish. The fun would have been Hurley finding a hole that he didn't account for. Now THAT would have been a hell of a movie! I did not entirely hate this remake of 'Bedazzled.' There were quite a few laughs. And I might have even liked this and gone on to recommend it had I not seen the original. I am disappointed with director Harold Ramis. In his hands, I would have thought this would have outsparkled the original 'Bedazzled.' I guess the devil made him do it. (Sorry about that. I couldn't resist.)

"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.

No, 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