Wonderful Movie

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Absolutely Brilliant!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Elliot Richards (Brendan Fraser) is lovesick, desperate, oblivious, eager to please, lonely and a doormat. He works at IT support. His coworkers avoid him. He's obsessed with Alison Gardner (Frances O'Connor) but she doesn't know him despite being in the same company for four years. The Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) offers him seven wishes in exchange for his soul.I really dislike Elliot right from the start. I wouldn't prank the guy but I can understand his workmates. I couldn't get away from him fast enough. Right from the start, this movie annoyed me and it never got me back. I find none of it funny. Brendan Fraser does a lot of fake makeup. However I never find any likability about his character. Even at the end, he goes nuts on his annoying workmates. From start to finish, I never like Elliot. I like the Devil more.

Elliot (Brendan Fraser) is a nerdy office drone who his co-workers try to avoid as often as possible. He adores another of the employees, Alison (Frances O'Connor), and more than anything would really like to be with her. One night, a sinfully sexy Satan (Elizabeth Hurley) comes to him with a proposal. If he promises to sell his soul to her, she'll grant him seven wishes. He wishes for some of the obvious things - wealth, prosperity, knowledge, physical prowess - but she's sneaky enough to give all of the various scenarios an unfortunate catch.As co-written and directed by the late Harold Ramis, this 21st century update of the fondly remembered Dudley Moore / Peter Cook comedy never generates any great comedy fireworks. At its best, it's just sort of mildly amusing. It can't really sustain itself for a full hour and 33 minutes, with the more entertaining gags weighted near the beginning. At least it espouses some reasonable themes about selflessness and the idea that life is what we make it.What really drives the 2000 version of "Bedazzled" is an engaging star duo. Fraser, who'd proved his comedic chops in the past, does his able best to sell the material from sequence to sequence. You could say that he gives 110%. Hurley is extremely enticing, especially with the constant costume changes. She looks especially fetching in the cheerleader and cop outfits. O'Connor is perfect as the object of Frasers' desires, while the supporting cast - Miriam Shor, Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein, Toby Huss - gets to strut their stuff in multiple roles. Ramis casts his repertory player Brian Doyle-Murray as a priest.Overall, this is likable but never really inspired.Six out of 10.

If you don't know the original movie from 1967, you may think this is a good film, with an original plot. But when you compare both movies, you will realize that one of them, the British one from 1967 is far better.Elegant English humor vs Brendan Fraser grimacing.A pitiful victim, played by Dudley Moore vs an always overacting Brendan Fraser.Cynic devil: Peter Cook vs sensual one: Liz Hurley (In the old movie, the devil is not so tempting, that's true, but you have "Lust", one of the seven capital sins, interpreted by a young an sexy Rachel Welch).And the ending: The cynic ending of the 1967 movie, when God childishly laughs at the devil, vs the typical Hollywood happy ending in the American version (Yes, he gets the girl).

Big fan of original and thought I wouldn't like this because of that, but when I eventually saw it, I liked it. It restyles the wishes for a modern day audience and they were mostly very funny. My favourite was the sensitive boy, the funniest by a long way. The two dogs named Dudley & Peter was a nice little nod to the innovative original too.Hurley was surprisingly good in her role and having a Brit starring in it was a the right thing to do. Frazer is a very good versatile actor, always good at comedy. It's more OTT than the original and it didn't last the distance quite as well, notably sagging in the last third, I thought. The script is funny but not subtle and witty like the 67 film. That script had a lot of Peter Cook gems in and is worth watching just to see a different type of humour.The remake didn't murder it at all, like some have wrongly said. It was a quite different version of it for more in your face modern tastes. Stands up on its own well if you didn't see or want to see the original, making it a worthy remake project. Thought it missed a trick by not including the seven deadly sins in person as the original did, one of my favourite scenes of the 67 film, however it helps make both films quite different watches. Just choose the version to suit your mood.