Bedazzled [DVD] [2000]

Its main strength lies in shrewd use of the actors. Fraser performs well in a wide variety of roles, while Hurley gives an Anne Robinson-like performance between the fantasy scenes, while her appearances in the fantasies themselves is restricted to popping up occasionally, saying little and looking pretty. To her credit she does a great job between scenes of conveying the Devil's enthusiasm and delight for everyday acts of mischief.

The new Bedazzled avoids the main flaw of the original, namely that whatever the scene, Cook and Moore effectively played out their familiar personae over and over again. Here, Fraser handles a series of roles brilliantly, while still letting us believe that he's the same character underneath. This is most notable in a scene where he plays a basketball star frustrated at only being able to speak in cliches ("Give 110%", "There's no I in TEAM" etc). In fact, even as an avid Peter Cook fan, I have to admit that the bulk of the film is actually slightly funnier than the original, something I never in my wildest dreams expected. Although it's a shame that certain key scenes from the original aren't recreated, particularly those which explore the relationship between the two characters, it's good that it doesn't try to stick to the original too much (besides, you have to suspect that Hurley would make a mess of such scenes).

There is a but, though. While the orignal's ending is excellent, the new ending is absolutely appalling. After an embarrassingly bad scene in which a giant Hurley holds Fraser in her hand and berates him for refusing to cooperate (forcing Hurley to act, and inevitably failing), while the closing monologue, far from Cook's promise that to fill the world with all that's bad, is a sickly-sweet sentimental lecture about how it's up to us to build our own Heaven here on Earth. Oh please, this garbage would look over-the-top on Sesame Street, never mind something that features Peter Cook's name in the credits. Far from Moore's Stanley Moon telling the Devil to "Get stuffed", we actually see the two parting on good terms, and Elliot dancing off into the sunset, which seems firmly against the spirit of the original.

Considering that I was expecting a catastrophic rehash of the original, the film was a very pleasant surprise. The relationship between Hurley and Fraser seems a little forced, but that's only because it's hard not to compare them to Cook and Moore. It's not over-Americanised, although the ending is a distinct piece of Hollywood slush, and overall I see no reason not to recommend it even to the most sceptical of Cook & Moore fans.

BUT - Why on Earth hasn't the original been re-released?

You really have to be specific when you are making wishes, as Elliot soon learns as a series of fantasies fulfilled quickly fall through: fame, power, and marriage to Allison is dangerous as well as unfulfilling, the life of an unbelievable star athlete comes with its own little problem (wink, wink), intelligence and savoir faire misses the mark, and becoming the most sensitive man on earth is quite simply a big mistake. Elliot, his sweetie Allison, and his co-workers all appear in these separate wish-fulfilled lives, each actor adopting a number of very different roles over the course of the film. The results can be hilarious, and there was at least one surprising wish fulfillment that never appeared in any trailer. Fraser has always seemed to be something of a stiff actor to me, but he shows great versatility in his performance here, taking the challenge of his role and running with it. Frances O'Connor is an increasingly sweet delight, as well, and Elizabeth Hurley is simply fantastic and utterly enchanting.

There are lots of special features on the DVD. Besides a theatrical trailer and several TV spots, you get two commentaries by the director and actors (including Hurley), a quite impressive featurette hosted by Hurley herself on the making of the film, a still gallery, and a look at the impressive costuming that went into the making of the film. Best of all, though, you get an extended scene of six minutes featuring Orlando Jones and Toby Huss offering post-game commentary after Elliot's amazing NBA debut. The scene is hilarious in the movie, but the extended scene takes the hilarity to absurdly funny levels. Every so often, you can hear a direction pointing the guys toward a certain type of comment on the game, but Jones and Huss seem to be ad libbing the entire commentary, constantly outdoing one another with some truly inane babblings. The only thing that disappointed me about this Special Edition DVD was a lack of deleted scenes. My favorite couple of seconds from the trailer was not actually in the movie, and the featurette informs us that there was originally a scene with Hurley taking on the guise of a French maid. The filmmakers obviously didn't realize how cruel it would be to tell us of such a scene and then not include it anywhere on the DVD. That one omission aside, I pretty much loved Bedazzled; it's just a smart, funny, and sexy movie.

So, all in all, this movie is fun- and is to be taken (very) lightly. I reccommend watching before buying, though!