Review: Bedazzled
Liz Hurley in leather, Brendan Fraser in makeup.Rating: 6 / 10
The scene with the snake isn't in this movie, but a picture with the snake is at the bottom of this page.
Neither is the bit where Brendan Fraser walks away from his station and forgets to take off his headphones, and it yanks his head back and he falls over.
However, we do see Elizabeth Hurley going bananas with her tongue with a rather unreceptive Brendan Fraser, in a performance that must surely secure an academy award nomination for him.
In this movie, Liz plays The Devil. Now, the idea that good looking women are all evil is something that sits well with me, but the idea that God is a cigarette smoking jailbird Snoop Doggy Dog ripoff does not. Mostly because Snoop Doggy Dog sucks the balls.
The movie sets out to establish that Elliot (Brendan Fraser) is a nerd. He has an IT job and no friends, but frankly it's quite understandable. It's not that he is socially unskilled, it's that he's a complete loser. A real, genuine, no confusion about it, loser. He's an annoying wanker. It basically shows that he is not a very nice guy, and certainly not worth knowing.
If that is it's intention, it seems odd that the movie ends with no revelations of personality. He doesn't realise he was a dickhead and make suitable changes, he just stumbles across a few bits of good luck (one of which is beyond comprehension) and that's it, he's the winner at the end of the movie.
(SPOILER .. ish.)
The incomprehensible good fortune of which I speak is the fact that at the end, he is forced rather severely into making his seventh and final wish, and he happens to wish for the well being of the girl after whom he lusts (and has spent the entire movie trying to be with) .. It just so happens that clause 174a (or something) of the contract to sell his soul for seven wishes states that if at any time the wisher performs a benevolent act, the contract is 'null and void' .. Why would The Devil include a clause like this in the contract she developed with the intention of taking people's souls? Your fucken guess is as good as mine. I'm leaning toward the movie studio saying "No, he has to get the girl at the end." and thus it was deformed.
(/SPOILER)
There are many scenes of Liz Hurley in skimpy or otherwise provocative clothing, which frankly seems to be the only justification for having her in the film. Her performance is horrible, though considering her relatively good job in Austin Powers it's easy to think that this sad effort may not have been entirely her fault. Nonetheless it's occasionally difficult to watch her bobbing up and down as she tries to walk, or in fact bobbing up and down while she's standing on the spot, but it's fairly easy to watch her parading around in red leather, or a dress with a split up the front that at one stage makes you wish cinemas had a rewind button.
Frances O'Connor puts in a decent showing, never playing the same character for more than about 30 seconds, yet being quite convincing as each successive one, and actually upstaging Hurley for looks, if not for costume.
Brendan Fraser puts in a decent performance, especially as the cliche adherent basketballer with 'a big ego'. I can't remember the last serious role he did but he always does a good job of the not serious ones, so I'm not complaining.
Overall, not a bad movie. Some very funny bits, some slightly lame bits. No need to see it at the cinema, either for screen/sound or price, but worth a watch on video.
SHE GOT A SNAKE, MAN!
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