In 1967 the genius comedy duo of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook wrote and starred in the very funny original version of Bedazzled. Harold Ramis has attempted to recapture some of their magic in his remake of this wonderful film. His version has Brendan Fraser and the vivacious Elizabeth Hurley reprising the roles of Cook and Moore. A talented director, two likable and attractive stars, all working on material which has been proven to be funny. Sounds like a surefire hit, doesn't it? Not quite.
If you never saw the original or have somehow managed to miss one of the fifty million previews that have been showing non-stop on television and in the theater, Bedazzled tells the story of Elliot, a helpless soul who desires a woman he works with, but whom he can't obtain. The devil shows up at this point and promises him seven wishes in exchange for his soul. Seeing this as the opportunity to attain his lady love, Elliot jumps all over the deal. The rest of the film tells of the various wishes and Elliot's success and lack of success in each.
The remake is funny and Elizabeth Hurley is very pleasing to the eyes, but this movie lacks any real gut busting moments. I smiled a little, chuckled here and there, but the best and funniest moments were already shown in the previews and thus lost all their impact.
One of the weakest elements of this movie is its lead, Brendan Fraser. He's supposed to be playing a loser in this film. A geek who can't make friends or work up the nerve to ask out the woman of his dreams. Only, he's Brendan Fraser! Okay, so he's dressed badly, forced to wear glasses (glasses that disappear halfway through the film), and speaks in an annoyingly ingratiating manner. He's still 6' 2", broad shouldered and in my mind at least, the man who defeated the mummy. I just never buy that he's so desperate he would have to sell his soul to get a date. Dudley Moore, in the original, played the hapless, helpless sap to perfection. I never once doubted his need for supernatural assistance in getting a date.
Harold Ramis, who directed this movie and is best known for directing such classics as Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Analyze This, seems to be holding back on this film. His direction is very restrained, when, in my mind at least, this is a premise that calls for going completely over the top. One of my favorite moments from any of Ramis's films is the gopher from Caddyshack. It's just a silly little sequence in an even sillier film. Bedazzled lacks its gopher, that funny little scene which is included for no other reason than it's extremely funny, and the movie suffers because of it.
Bedazzled (2000) is a light, little movie that entertains on a very shallow level, but never reaches beyond that. If you want to see the same movie done really well, rent the original. On the other hand, if you just want to see Elizabeth Hurley in a whole bunch of different, and very sexy costumes, go see the new version.
