DVD/Movie Review: Bedazzled (2000)

 

Bedazzled is a 2000 comedy starring Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, and Frances O'Connor. It is directed by Harold Ramis (probably best known for his role in Ghostbusters). The supporting cast includes Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein, Toby Huss, Miriam Shor, and Gabriel Casseus. It is a remake of the 1967 film of the same name that starred Dudley Moore. When the movie was made, Hurley had come off making the original Austin Powers movie, and Fraser was arguably at the height of his fame, having made the first Mummy movie and the comedy Blast From the Past. In the film, Fraser plays a dweeby goober named Elliot Richards, who works for a computer company in San Francisco in a dead-end tech support job. He is the classic "tries too hard" kind of person nobody wants to be around and actively tries to avoid (when not mocking him). Elliot has a crush on a coworker named Alison (played by Frances O'Connor), and after a pathetic attempt to ask her out, he makes the statement that he would do anything to have her in his life. The Devil (played by Hurley) overhears him and tempts Eliot into selling his soul for seven wishes. Of course, the wishes are sabotaged, so Eliot gets what he asks for but never what he wants. 

The DVD extras include two commentary tracks on the movie, one by Harold Ramis and one by Hurley and the co-producer, Trevor Albert. It also includes the HBO First Look, a making-of featurette hosted by Hurley, the trailer, promotional spots, and a stills gallery. Ramis mainly describes the casting process and the various actors in his commentary. He does discuss details of some of the specific scenes as well. In the second commentary, Albert does most of the talking and, like Ramis, discusses the casting process, the locations, the performances of the actors, and the like. Hurley mostly only chimes in during her scenes and does not say much for long stretches. 

The movie is a good comedy, primarily good-natured and relatively wholesome. It is not entirely family-friendly, though. Hurley is in many skimpy outfits throughout the film. There is some sexual innuendo and a bit of swearing. So, it is not appropriate for very young kids, but it is okay for teenagers. Fraser shows off his comedic acting chops by playing many different characters, ranging from a Columbian drug lord to an overly emotional crybaby, in addition to Eliot's "normal" persona. Hurley seems to have a lot of fun playing the seductress and, of course, looks smoking hot throughout the movie. She and Fraser have great chemistry and comedic timing. Despite being a movie about selling one's soul to the Devil, it does not really get religious or preachy. The film's plot and message really boil down to the difference between being selfish and selfless. It is somewhat dated 24 years later (as of this writing), and some things in the movie probably would not be done the same way today. The special effects are okay but nowhere near the quality of today's CGI effects. So, if you watch it on a big screen, especially on a Blu-Ray player or a 4K Blu-Ray player, you can easily tell when something was shot against a green screen. Even though it is somewhat dated, the film generally holds up over time and is worth watching if you are in the mood for a good comedy.