Starring Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Frasier
If the devil is Elizabeth Hurley, the most likely male answer would be a “hummina hummina, yeah, I wish.” In “Bedazzled” (Twentieth Century Fox, PG-13), the wish is granted in a movie full of entertaining wish-fulfillment for dorks of all sorts suffering from unrequited love.
The latest from director and writer Harold Ramis (responsible for “Groundhog Day,” one of the best movies of the ‘90s) offers up a mix of humor and thoughtful themes that Ramis’ films have featured prominently lately. His scripts, even this one, based on a 1967 movie of the same name, are laced with insight into a faulty comedic character’s general need for love and acceptance.
Brendan Fraser stars as Elliot Richards, a pathetic and lonely sort who fits all the nerdy stereotypes. He even tries to “street” talk to one of his black co-workers, to no avail. As he bumbles through his customer support job in a maze of tiny cubicles, his co-workers both dodge and taunt poor Elliot.
At a bar, Elliot spies his dream girl, Alison Gardner (Frances O’Connor), and shows pick-up skills that are the envy of no one. In a fit of despair, Elliot, the bashful man-child that he is, wishes for anything to allow him to woo fair Alison. The wish is answered loudly.
The devil, a lady in red who would lure a heart closer just to crush it more easily, offers Elliot a deal. In exchange for her granting seven wishes, Elliot gives up his soul. While the eternal debate that could result from such an action is much longer than a lowly movie review, Elliot agrees because his soul hasn’t done much for him lately (or ever).
Hurley plays her part with demure and playful charm, and a whole lot of costume changes, amazingly all on the skimpy side. There must be a reasonable explanation for such provocative dress ... oh, yeah, it’s quite warm where she’s from. The fact that Hurley will attract legions of boys similar to Elliot to the movie theater is just a side effect.
The middle of the film then explores the results of the wishes, each of which transplant Elliot to a faraway situation, locale and look. While each wish acts as a chapter to a book, the continuity remains intact.
For instance, when Elliot learns Alison wants a sensitive man, he asks to be the most sensitive man alive. However, the Devil’s deal makes him into a crying mess, sobbing at the sight of the sunset with melodramatic waterworks. Alison is fed up with the sensitivity, and runs off with beach muscleheads. Thus, Elliot’s next wish is to be the epitome of masculinity: the monster basketball star.
In each case, the Devil manages to alter the supposed perfect existence with tomfoolery, preventing the union of dorky Elliot and distant Alison. That crazy devil, always up to no good!
“Bedazzled” calls for a varied and comic performance from its star, and Fraser fits in well. From goofy looks to an unknowing Columbian drug dealer, Fraser really looks like he had fun with all the costume changes, makeup creations and outrageous situations. The possibility existed that under another actor (say ... Keanu Reeves) the movie could have been quite awful, no matter what Hurley wore.
Hurley’s devil is a somewhat odd representation. While the thought of a female devil doesn’t take a great leap of faith, Hurley uses her coy nature found in “Austin Powers” rather than an outlandish, over-the-top performance seething with evil. Most of the “good” and “evil” lines are blurred intentionally, allowing instead for the true evils to shine through: office jobs, fat contracts and people who make fun of others. Shame, shame.
The final feeling, though, comes down to the distinctive Ramis writing and directing style: an unobtrusive visual style, a flair for situational humor and just a subtle bit of personal theory.
And that theory hits head-on, especially for dork movie enthusiasts such as this reviewer. Although seven wishes can’t necessarily entice the dream girl, they can garner screen time for Elizabeth Hurley. Suddenly, the soul seems within bounds of bartering.
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