The devil has arrived, and she’s wearing a red-leather, string bikini.
The stunningly gorgeous Elizabeth Hurley stars as none other than the “Princess of Darkness.” From her first moments on screen, Hurley is believable as the ultimate Evil One, mixing her aristocratic British manner with deceitful speech and seductively beautiful looks.
Hurley seems to be building quite a name for herself in comedic roles, building on a solid performance as Vanessa Kensington in Austin Powers. Satan’s target here is the nerdy loner Elliot Richards (Brendan Fraser), who longs for, among other things, an attractive officemate he barely knows. The usual deal takes place: Satan will give Elliot seven wishes, which can be anything he wants, in exchange for his eternal soul. Elliot, reluctant at first, accepts the Devil’s terms when he thinks how much better life might be if he finally gets the girl and has great fame and fortune.
Much of the comedy in the movie focuses on Elliot’s seven wishes, and the ways in which the Devil craftily grants the wishes using Elliot’s in specific language. Exceptionally funny among Elliot’s desires is his wish to be the super-sensitive man for which his dream girl longs.
As per his wish, Elliot is morphed into a freckled-faced pansy who cries every time he looks at the sunset, while often spouting out cheesy lines of new-age philosophy. Another very enjoyable scene is Elliot’s transformation into a Columbian drug lord who, much to the delight of Elliot himself, can speak fluent Spanish even though the real Elliot cannot.
Watching Fraser practice several Spanish phrases was laugh-aloud funny. All of the wishes showcase Fraser’s ability to effectively play widely varying roles, from the suave playboy to the not-so-intelligent superstar athlete.
Director Harold Ramis has been involved in some of the greatest comedies of all time, writing such classics as Animal House and Ghostbusters, and directing and acting in several other memorable comedies. His flair for comedy is not quite in top form in Bedazzled, but he certainly comes close. Toward the movie’s conclusion, things get a little too pseudo-philosophical about the nature of good and evil, and this takes away from the movie’s overall tone of pure comedy.
Saving the philosophy for more dramatic pictures and instead extending the duration of one of Elliot’s wishes may have elevated this movie to the next level comedically.
A seductively evil performance by Elizabeth Hurley, as well as a solid outing by the surprisingly versatile Brendan Fraser makes Bedazzled an entertaining and lighthearted look at the ongoing struggle between the forces of good and evil. The heavy-handedness of the movie’s conclusion takes little away from the comedic tone, but not enough to ruin the fun moviegoing experience of this picture. B