Bedazzled
Harold Ramis's movies are often difficult to review because they're just so good and solid it's hard to pick up on a particular aspect or niche and write around. "Bedazzled" is a good example of this. It's a straight comedy about a loser who sells his soul to the devil for some wishes but nothing goes as planned and hilarity ensues. It's certainly nothing genius but it is funny and entertaining.
Brendan Fraser stars as Elliot Richards, a geeky dork who works as a tech support operator at a computer company. Elliot is the kind of guy who's in a deep state of loser denial: he tries to fit in with the other guys in the office by talking in outdated slang and constantly fake smiling and laughing but they all politely reject him. One of the first scenes shows him talking to an African-American co-worker asking him if he wants to play basketball after work and says, "Make sure you tell me the right time to be there because last time when I showed up you guys were all leaving."
You can pretty much get the grasp of Fraser's character in just the first few scenes. Everyone knows someone like this so you're not just laughing at the character being funny in a comedy, you're laughing because you've seen this type of person do the type of things he does. You roll your eyes and you can't help but laugh at him being a goof. And thankfully Ramis doesn't resort to a lot of slapstick and sight gags (a la Kramer on "Seinfeld"), he just gives Elliot a lot of good lines and Fraser does a good job in playing the character.
Of course whenever you have a nerd you have to have a bombshell for him to secretly be in love with. Frances O'Connor plays that character, a pretty brunette named Alison who is surprised when Elliot approaches her in a bar trying to make casual conversation and of course politely rejects him.
Enter Elizabeth Hurley as the devil who knows how desperate Elliot and he'd be an easy target for a soul exchange. I think this is the first movie where the devil comes in the form of a woman and a hot chick at that. Hurley is as sexy as the role requires her to be. She oozes attraction and doesn't have to try very hard to persuade Elliot to trade his soul for seven wishes. It's predictable of course but it's not forced or trite - kind of cartoony but with a naughty adult appeal.
And so Elliot proceeds to make his wishes, each involves a major lifestyle change that he thinks would be the key to getting Alison.
I think a rule of movies, or pretty much any medium of fiction, is that if you make a wish to a wish granter you'll get it but there will be a price to pay for it. Edgar Allen Poe's "The Monkey's Paw" is a classic example of this and "Bedazzled" works in much the same way. Elliot wishes to be rich and powerful and married to Alison so the devil turns him into a Colombian drug lord whose wife is cheating on him. Technically he got his wish.
That's how all the wishes Elliot makes turn out. He gets what he wishes for but they're all fulfilled as literally as he asked for them. There's a scene where Elliot wishes he could be the most sensitive guy in the world because he knows women want that in men, but even that backfires on him. That scene takes place on a beach and every time Elliot turns to look at the sunset he weeps and it drives Alison crazy.
What "Bedazzled" secretly has going for it is the satire at work during every wish sequence. The sensitivity wish is a great example of this. Another is when Elliot becomes a pro basketball player and we see the announcers talking about how he's broken every record Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain ever set. After the game he's interviewed by a reporter saying jargon so inane it's hilarious. He can't answer any question flat-out, he just says, "It was a team effort... you gotta give 110%... you can't give up." Meanwhile sweat is pouring down his face so hard it soaks the reporter.
The film maintains balance by not making the surprises too ridiculous - they're fluffy and iconic enough to work in a mainstream movie. You know, the kind of stuff that might happen in a Jim Carrey flick only without the gross-out factor. Fraser is able to effectively hold his own in every outrageous scenario and still keep Elliot in character. The film utilizes the supporting characters in a "Wizard Of Oz" way where they are all play roles within each wish scenario. Orlando Jones (the 7-Up guy) is the best of them, however, the others are a little weak (think of a sub-par "Saturday Night Live" sketch).
The ending's a nice breath of fresh air. Sure it's as standard as they come but it's not corny or sappy or anything so annoying as most comedies tend to rely on for effect.
All in all "Bedazzled" works because it's put together well and doesn't try to be anything it's not. It has potential to be an innovative satire but works fine as a plain old "ha ha" comedy.
GRADE: B
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