Teuflisch

I 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.

Wealth. 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.

"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.

Ever since GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE I've been convinced that BRENDAN FRASER is one of the brightest new talents to come along in ages. He gets a chance to show how clever he is at concealing his real self in BEDAZZLED, starting as a nerdy office worker and going through a series of changes in an effort to make a pact with The Devil (Elizabeth Hurley). None of his wishes are successful because each one has a hitch devised by the cunning Hurley to backfire.

I never saw the original with Dudley Moore, but here I can see that the script stands in the way of delivering a solid comedy despite Brendan's flair for this sort of thing. He reaches the peak of his comic talent with his impersonation of a Latin millionaire, guaranteed to draw laughs.

But much of the story is too episodic for the results to be anything more than reasonably satisfying. Hurley goes about her role with a sexy seductiveness that is almost as overwhelming for the viewer as it is for Fraser's character.

Summing up: Fraser's fans will enjoy his multi-faceted romp.

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!