| Bedazzled | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Harold Ramis |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Bedazzled byPeter Cook & Dudley Moore |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bill Pope |
| Edited by | Craig Herring |
| Music by | David Newman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Language | English |
| Budget | $48 million[2] |
| Box office | $90.3 million[2] |
Bedazzled is a 2000fantasyromantic comedy film[3] directed byHarold Ramis and starringBrendan Fraser andElizabeth Hurley. It is a remake of the1967 British film of the same name, written byPeter Cook andDudley Moore, itself a comic retelling of theFaust legend. It follows a computer company worker who makes a deal with the Devil to receive seven wishes in exchange for his soul so he can pursue the woman he loves, though the Devil twists the spirit of each wish to frustrate him.
The Devil runs a computer simulation to analyze souls to determine individual weaknesses to exploit. The program settles on Elliot Richards, a sweet, geeky, over-zealous man working a dead-end job in aSan Francisco computer company. He has no friends, and his co-workers avoid him. He harbours a crush on colleague Alison Gardner, but lacks the courage to ask her out. After Elliot is ditched by his co-workers at a bar while trying to talk to Alison, he says he would give anything for Alison to be with him.
The Devil, in the form of a seductive, gorgeous woman, overhears him and offers to give Elliot seven wishes in exchange for his soul.
As a test, Elliot wishes for aBig Mac and a largeCoke. The Devil takes him toMcDonald's and places the order. Elliot has to pay for it, because the Devil left her purse in the Underworld. After taking Elliot to her office, based at a nightclub inOakland, the Devil convinces Elliot to sign her contract, and delivers further wishes. Each wish has Elliot living them out with Alison and his co-workers in surrogate roles. However, the Devil always spoils his wishes byadding something he does not expect or want.
After going through five wishes, Elliot is arrested afterconfessing his story to a priest who believed he wasdrunk. The Devil, dressed as a police officer, throws him in a cell, telling him that she likes him, and it would not hurt to have her as a friend. Elliot's friendly cellmate tells him that he cannot sell his soul as it belongs toGod, and although the Devil may try to confuse him, in the end he will realize who he truly is, and what his purpose is. Elliot questions the man as to his identity, but the response is simply "a really good friend".
Elliot asks the Devil to cancel their contract. When the Devil refuses, Elliot states he will not use his final wish. The Devil teleports them to Hell. When the Devil pushes him to make a final wish, Elliot wishes that Alison could have a happy life – with or without him. The Devil sighs and Elliot falls into the depths of Hell. He wakes up on a marble staircase, wondering if it isHeaven. The Devil tells him that a provision in the contract'sfine print states that a selfless wish voids the contract. Elliot admits that despite her manipulation of him he has come to like the Devil and regards her as a friend. She advises that Heaven and Hell can be found on Earth being up to humans to choose. Elliot asks Alison out, but discovers she is already dating another man. He continues with his life, with a better understanding of who he is.
Elliot is confronted by Bob, one of his co-workers, who ridicules Elliot at the encouragement of his co-workers. Elliot grabs a terrified Bob by the shirt, but lets go, simply saying, "Nice talking to you." At home, he meets a new neighbor, Nicole Delarusso, whose looks resemble Alison's but whose personality, interests and fashion sense are much closer to his. He offers to help her unpack and they begin a relationship. While the two walk along a boulevard, the Devil and Elliot's cellmate, both dressed in white, are playingchess. The Devil's computer program lists Nicole and Elliot's foibles, which they tolerate.
In April 1997, it was reported thatHarold Ramis would write, direct, and co-produce a remake of the 1967 filmBedazzled for20th Century Fox with the approval of the original film's directorStanley Donen, who jointly owned the rights with Fox.[4] In January 1998,Larry Gelbart joined to co-write the script, which, unlike the original film, would feature a female Devil.[5] In November 1999, it was reported thatBrendan Fraser dropped out ofThe Wedding Planner to play the lead role inBedazzled for $10 million, with Fox enthusiastic on working with Fraser again afterMonkeybone.[6] In January 2000,Elizabeth Hurley andFrances O'Connor joined the film as co-stars.[7]
In the United States,Bedazzled was released onDVD andVHS on March 13, 2001, by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[8] The DVD version of the film isTHX certified and featuresNuon technology, which can only be used on Nuon-enhanced DVD players. These Nuon features include viddies, hyper slides and various zoom points during the film. There are four different main menus themed to rich, famous, intelligent and sensitive. Bonus features on the DVD are extended scenes, an audio commentary, anHBO special, The Making of Bedazzled, behind-the-scenes footage, theatrical trailers, TV spots, galleries, Bedazzling designs, scoring sessions and more.[9]
The film did reasonably well at the box office. It topped British box office sales when it debuted in the UK during the weekend of 10 November 2000,[10] and finished at #2 on its American opening weekend behind the surprise smash hitMeet the Parents.[11]
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Hurley's performance was praised, but her attendance of its premiere was met with backlash from theScreen Actors Guild because it occurred during a strike it was holding.[12] OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 116 reviews, with an average of 5.5/10. The site's general consensus states, "Though it has its funny moments, this remake is essentially a one joke movie with too many flat plots, and not a patch on the superior original."[13] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100 based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14]
Michael Wilmington of theChicago Tribune wrote, disappointedly, that "'Bedazzled' recycled is not the finest hour for Fraser or Hurley—though Fraser, Elliot Richards in this movie, comes closer. It isn't Ramis' finest hour either—though he's one American moviemaker who excels at concept comedies, as he's proved inGroundhog Day, and the best parts of the crude and lewdCaddyshack.Bedazzled, one of the best comic premises ever, should have been duck soup to him."[15] Wilmington's rival, theChicago Sun-Times'Roger Ebert, commented that "the new movie has been directed by Harold Ramis from a screenplay that uses the 1967 film more as inspiration than source. It is lacking in wickedness. It doesn't smack its lips when it's naughty. When its hero sells his soul to the devil, what results isn't diabolical effrontery, but a series of contract negotiations and consumer complaints. This is twice in two weeks (after theWinona Ryder exorcism movieLost Souls) that Satan loses on points."[16] TheLos Angeles Times'Kenneth Turan stated that "as written by Larry Gelbart, director Harold Ramis and Peter Tolan, this 'Bedazzled,' though amusing from moment to moment, is erratic, unfocused and uncertain where it's going. And whenever it gets too insecure about itself, the film falls back, in classic the-devil-made-me-do-it Hollywood fashion, on explosions, gunfights, helicopter stunts, car crashes and computer-generated effects. What should be a drawing-room comedy ends with moments best left toGone in 60 Seconds."[17]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
