Deal of a Lifetime

In this low budget film we have another retelling of the deal with the devil story. I was curious in that I wanted to see how Michael Goorjian did in a more major role than the supporting part that he always had in Party of Five. (He did OK) and I was curious to see how Shiri Appleby (of "Roswell" did in a movie (she did OK too).

Overall though, two OK performances don't make for a great movie. If you want a "junk-food" movie to pass an hour and a half, this movie may fit the bill. Just don't expect anything new or terribly original here. At least is wasn't painful to watch.

Imagine a very early Tim Burton flick, before Beetlejuice, before Peewee, and cast a subdued Robin Williams in the role of Jerry the lesser demon, make it a high school teencom, and maybe you'll have an idea what this movie is like.

Highlights include: creative visuals without flashy FX (I love the depiction of Hell as an office sweatshop, not unlike a few where I've worked before), excellent acting by the teen stars, and a particularly vibrant performance by Kevin Pollack, all of which bring this otherwise dusty story to life. The plot is exactly what you'd expect: a mephistophelean figure promises to make a nerd into the most popular kid in return for the kid's eternal soul. No surprises with that premise. But Kevin Pollack acting as the lovable, detestable demon is what wakes up this age-old story. He's every bit as memorable as impish as Elizabeth Hurley playing the Devil in "Bedazzled" (only Liz has MUCH better legs in a dress ...as you will see, ugh!).

Though not quite as over-the-top as Robin Williams, Pollock delivers his own unique, highly colorful contribution. The fun is seeing what form he will take next (my fave is the ice cream man who grabs kids' money and hands them "Tabasco swirls" in return... haha before pelting them with vanilla scoops). Pretty early on you realize the plot is not nearly as important as the random, surreal gags like that.

If you do decide to pay attention to the story, you'll see that the high school setting is the perfect setting for the Faustian legend. High school society is the perfect microcosm to illustrate the fleeting glamor and material temptations of life. What nerd wouldn't sell his soul to date the head cheerleader?

I think adults and teens alike will get a kick out of this film. It's good, clean fun, no filthy language, no contrived sexual situations, nothing really disturbing at all. Just a cute re-telling of an ancient morality tale.

With its surreal vibe, I would compare "Deal of a Lifetime" to other bizarre teen classics like "Better Off Dead" (about a high school kid trying to kill himself in ridiculous ways), maybe "Back to School" (featuring middle-aged Rodney Dangerfield trying to be the big freshman on campus) or even "Ferris Bueler" though overall not as wacky as those masterpieces. But if you grew up with those movies, "Deal of a Lifetime" will be a nice nostalgic trip back to the fun we experienced with those 80s gems.

A reasonable retelling of "Faust" as a high-school comedy, the film is let down a little by a low budget and inexperienced director. It works well in parts, but there are occasional scenes which quite clearly don't work. One example - when the devil's agent (Kevin Pollack) is disguised as an ice-cream man he "scares" away some kids by throwing what looks like a few scraps of paper at them! Without the luxury of re-shoots, scenes like that needed either some imaginative work in post-production or someone brave enough to leave them on the cutting room floor. Instead, they are left in and undermine the good work elsewhere.

Overall it's a enjoyable family comedy with good performances from the main cast. Shiri Appleby looks suitably stunning as the object of Michael Goorjian's affections and does a good job of making more of the role than the script gives her.

Good Movie 7/10. This is back when movies still had plots and character development.

I thought that this movie was soooo stupid!I mean the plot was stupid and entire story could have been fit into one 10 minute movie!The only good thing about this movie was Shiri Appleby. She did this movie a little after she started with Roswell.She is a wonderful actress and would be the only reason anyone would enjoy this movie.