Zum Teufel mit Max

With the past several years and all the bad publicity that has come out about Bill Cosby the fact that he could be cast as an emissary of Satan himself seems less ironic these days. The other half of the title of The Devil And Max Devlin is played by Elliott Gould who is destined for the lower depths after falling into a manhole unless he agrees to get three innocents to pledge their souls.

Where to find innocent souls in 1981 is the question, but in his new guise as a manager/promoter he finds promising singer Julie Budd, a BMX racer David Knell and a little kid Adam Rich with a real pretty mom in Susan Anspach.

I have to tell you that I was a bit uneasy in the scenes involving Gould and Rich. It was like he was stalking as a pedophile would. How Disney Studios were comfortable with that God only knows.

The Devil And Max Devlin has some interesting moments, a few laughs but not quite the hit it could have been. I would have not used the whole business with Adam Rich if I were producing the film

Horror veteran Jimmy Sangster got himself attached to the Disney company by way of his story concerning a crooked apartment manager in Los Angeles who is hit by a car and goes to Hell. To save himself from eternal damnation, he must return to Earth and find three unsullied innocents who will sign away their souls in exchange for their life's wish to be granted. Sangster shares credit for the plot with screenwriter Mary Rodgers of "Freaky Friday", who apparently added the accoutrements of a single mom and her son looking for a husband and father to love, a teenage nerd who wants to be a motocross champion and a nervous songbird who wants to be a star. Disney, who had not yet developed the Touchstone subsidiary for more grown-up product, was attempting to change their image a bit here, but the swear words and a scary scene down in Hades just seem out of place in a movie about an old softie (Elliott Gould) charming everyone with his rumpled panache. Bill Cosby is cast as Satan, who dresses up for different occasions even though nobody but Gould can see him, and Susan Anspach is the daycare worker burned by broken romances. Both are good, but it's Gould movie and he carries it to a treacly but satisfying finish. **1/2 from ****

I'd recommend 'The Devil and Max Devlin'.

Of course it is slightly hampered by the fact it's a Disney film, but I feel it manages to leave a mark in what it does tackle in regards to the premise. I felt attached to the dilemma that Max (Elliott Gould) faces, despite it being a fairly predictable situation.

Gould is good in the lead role. He is joined by, um, Bill Cosby, who suitably plays a character from the less appealing afterlife. Julie Budd (Stella) is the best of the rest, especially when it comes to the music; she's got a great voice.

Disney's best film up until this point of the 1980s, which they begin poorly. Happy with this one though, I like it.

Elliott Gould's career slowed down after a string of R-rated films in the 60's and 70's...and came to a screeching halt in 1981. Disney's attempt in the eighties to modernize their films included casting Bill Cosby and Elliott Gould as The Devil and Max Devlin respectively. The plot involves Gould signing up three good souls for the Devil so as to replace his own soul from going down South. In concept, this is basically the flip side of Oh God! (George Burns and John Denver). Bill Cosby probably seemed like a hip if not fair replacement for George Burns (both being beloved stand-ups) but Elliott Gould was too much of a bad boy to be considered sympathetic in any film. The sort of sympathy evoked by John Denver in "Oh God!" Together, Cosby and Gould had no chemistry with little if any comic opportunities. Cosby was not very believable as the Devil and we could care less if Gould spent eternity in Hell. Singer Julie Budd was cast as one of the "good" souls (the in-joke here is that Julie Budd is a look-alike, sound-alike clone of Barbara Streisand and Streisand is the former Mrs. Gould. Of course kids who saw this film in 1981 didn't have a clue who she was...oh heck, most adults didn't know who she was...so why the trouble in casting Julie Budd?) To make things worse she sings one song "Rainbows and Roses" over and over and over and over and over again. Disney turns out more music than any film studio, couldn't they write a few songs for this film? Adam Rich (former "Eight Is Enough" social tragedy) and David Knell round out the trio in appearances that are a notch below a below-average Love Boat guest spot. Susan Anspach ("Montenegro") plays Adam Rich's mom and Gould's love interest and deserves the most sympathy for that alone.

After a promising opening ten minutes, highlighted by some good gags, this movie quickly slips into dreariness and never recovers. It's not that there's anything particularly wrong with this film, it's just that there's nothing particularly good about it either and it wastes a potentially interesting leading duo.

The best thing that can be said about it is that it's inoffensive and easy to take but it's also totally forgettable and one of the more uninventive films you're likely to come across.