Al diablo con el diablo

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!

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.

"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.

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.

Bedazzled is one of those simple fun comedy movies I still like to put on my plate no matter that I watched them a couple of times already. Elizabeth Hurley is for sure one of the hottest devils ever and Brendan Fraser as simple guy with a big heart in big trouble just charming. No doubt, this mix of romance and comedy is no Oscar material but funny as hell and entertaining: Bedazzled, like Groundhog Day, The Devil Wears Prada, Easy A or 10 Things I Hate About You never bore me - no matter how many times I put them on my screen already, and no matter that my hair begins to turn gray - if I'm in the mood for some light romancing comedy, those are still good ones.