BEDAZZLED
Satan is making good boxoffice.
-Review by David Bruce
|

BEDAZZLED
(2000)
This page was created on October 23, 2000
This page was last updated on May 23, 2005
|
|
Directed
by Harold Ramis
Writing credits
Peter Cook (1967 story)
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (1967 screenplay)
Larry Gelbart, Harold Ramis & Peter Tolan (2000 screenplay)
Brendan
Fraser .... Elliot
Elizabeth Hurley .... The Devil
Frances O'Connor .... Allison
Orlando Jones .... Dan
Produced
by Trevor Albert, Suzanne Herrington (co-producer), Neil A. Machlis
(executive), Harold Ramis
Original music by David Newman
Cinematography by Bill Pope
Film Editing by Craig Herring
PG-13
for sex-related humor, language and some drug content.
|
|

TRAILERS AND CLIPS
Quicktime
10 MG
Quicktime
5 MG
|
1. Just
The One (I've Been Looking For) - Johnnie Taylor 2. My Family -
Banana Oil 3. Frenazo - Tony Phillips 4. Stop The Rock - Apollo
Four Forty (Mint Royale mix) 5. Mi Amor - Javier Torres Mosley 6.
DJ Girl Around The World - Katalina (Disco mix) 7. Dolphin Song
- Brendan Fraser 8. Rock & Roll Part 2 - Gary Glitter 9. Meena Devi
- (Goddess mix) 10. Inside Of You Inside Of Me - Brendan Fraser
|
|
Meet
the Devil.
She's giving Elliott seven wishes.
But not a chance in Hell.
|
|
STUDIO SYNOPSIS:
Meet
Elliot Richards, a well-meaning but socially inept technical-support
advisor who is in love with Alison Gardner, a female co-worker.
Unfortunately she barely knows he's alive. Desperate to gain Alison's
affections, Elliot strikes a deal with the Devil -- a lusty, drop-dead
gorgeous woman with, as he'll soon discover, a wicked sense of humor.
In exchange for Elliot's soul, the temptress will grant him seven
wishes.
To
start, Elliot asks to be rich, powerful and married to Alison. When
he awakens the next morning, he discovers he's all that and more
-- as a Colombian drug lord. No problem, he thinks, because he's
got six more wishes.
How
about becoming the most emotionally sensitive man in the world?
Sure, only Elliot ends up a sniveling, driveling fool.
A 7'
6" basketball superstar? Elliot breaks all NBA records, but unfortunately
his "equipment" doesn't measure up.
Elliot
is learning the hard way to be careful what he wishes for. Because
the Devil, always a step ahead of him, is dishing up hilariously
subversive versions of Elliot's desires, turning each of his new
lives into a living hell.
© 20th Century Fox
|
|
REVIEW
BY DAVID BRUCE
|
|
Click
images for larger photos
This
is a fun film. Enjoy it for what it is: A simple story that teaches
a lesson we all know already. Be who God made and intended you to
be. Resist the temptation to be anything else.
|
|

ELLIOT
IS LONELY.
|
|

HIS
FRIENDS ARE NOT REALLY FRIENDS.
They actually laugh at his loneliness.
|

HE IS LONELY,
ESPECIALLY IN A CROWD. |

THE GIRL HE LIKES DOESN'T KNOW HE EXISTS. |

HE OFFERS UP A PRAYER.
"Dear God I would give anything to have that girl in my life." |

HIS PRAYER IS ANSWERED.
But, not in the way he expected. It has been said, be careful
what you pray for. Your prayer might be answered. |
| All
they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think
he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother
believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring
brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the
best picture of God we'll ever get. -2 Cor. 4:4 Message Translation
|

THE DEVIL WITH A RED DRESS ON.
It is a true thing. Sometimes God allows the Devil to test us. |
|
"All right, you may test him," the Lord said to Satan. "Do whatever
you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically."
So Satan left the Lord's presence. -Job 1:12 NLT
|

WHAT KIND OF CAR WOULD THE DEVIL DRIVE?
Perhaps a Diablo? In any event her royal wickedness is about to drive
Elliot beyond any thing he has ever known. |
| Run
away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness-faith,
love, peace-joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before
God. -2 Tim. 2:22 Message Translation. |

THE DEVIL'S THRONE ROOM.
It is fun to look around in the background and at the props during
this film. Examples: the fireplace, the picture of Adam and Eve being
tempted. |
| And
don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
-Matthew 6:13 NLT |

THE CONTRACT.
People sell their souls all the time for all the wrong reasons: Drug
addictions, love addictions, work addictions, hobby addictions, food
addictions, money addictions, etc. |
| Stay
alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even
knowing it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything
in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the
fire." -Mark 14:38 Message Translation |

LOTS OF SYMBOLISM.
Note the juxtaposition of the picture of Adam and Eve in the background
with the apple in her hand. |
| Keep
a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would
like nothing better than to catch you napping. -1
Peter 5:8 Message Translation |

GETTING THE MENTAL PICTURE.
Visualizing a goal is a good idea. But it's not just the goal
that is important; it’s how we get there. Something Elliot never
gives much thought to. |
| After
all, we don't want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more
mischief-we're not oblivious to his sly ways! -2 Cor. 2:11 Message
Translation |

FALLING FOR A TEMPTATION
IS
FALLING FOR A LESSER LIFE |
| Practically
everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting
everything for yourself, wanting to appear important-has nothing to
do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. 1 John 2:16 -Message
Translation |

SATAN OR SELF -WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
"The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us.
We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our
own lust." -James 1:14 Message |
|
THE
GOOD NEWS ABOUT TEMPTATION
No
test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what
others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will
never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit;
he'll always be there to help you come through it. -1 Cor. 10:13
Message
These
trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and
pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-and your
faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith
remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring
you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ
is revealed to the whole world. -1
Peter 1:7 NLT
|
|
 ANOTHER
FILM WITH SATAN AS A WOMAN
Satan
appears as a fashion model dressed in red to tempt Jesus in THE
JESUS MINI SERIES Click
here.
Click
here to see Real Video of this scene
|
|
Satan
Has Fallen
He
is the subject of many films. But what does the Bible teach
about him?
|
|
include("inserts/comments_bottom_short.htm"); ?>
LOTS
OF IMAGERY
Subject:
Fall imagery (etc.) in Bedazzled
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000
From: vkhix
As
an English major I'm always looking for symbols and themes in stories.
While watching Bedazzled I noticed that the Devil's office was full
of art that recalled The Fall: Eve and the apple, Adam and Eve with
fig leaves, and so forth. Similar imagery appeared in other temptation
scenes, such as the one in the parking lot. The Devil's back is
to a billboard with a seductive-looking woman draped across it.
I don't recall the text on the board, but it was something relating
to dreams and desires. I'm sure there are many more such images.
I also noticed religious symbols, most prominently in the jail scene.
The bars on the cell window form crosses. I was impressed with the
way the story emphasized each person's responsibility to choose
his or her fate, rather than taking the easy route and letting Elliot
blame his bad decisions on his upbringing or his treatment at work.
It was also nice to see a movie that let the Devil (and the angel/God-figure)
be ambiguous in appearance: the Devil acts like a friend and wears
an angel costume, the angel/God-figure poses as a prisoner and wears
all black. A nice touch: the Devil and the angel/God-figure play
chess at the end of the movie. The Devil cheats. It could have been
a more thought-provoking movie, but the lesson was a good one. -vkhix
ENJOYABLE
BUT ITS FLUFF
Subject: Enjoyable but it's fluff.
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000
From: Darrel Manson
I
enjoyed Bedazzled (but I still prefer the Moore/Cook original).
I think the idea of temptation as our desires, but always flawed,
is well done and I liked the comment in the jail that the problem
with the contract was that one's soul is not one's own to give,
it belongs to God who gave it. The salvation by selfless act is
how many see redemption in the death of Christ. But here it only
affects the one who does it. In reality, that act has already been
done, so the devil really has no power to enforce such a contract.
But the movie was fun.
-- Darrel Manson
><>Artesia Christian Church ><>Artesia, CA http://netministries.org/see/churches/ch01198
|
|
|
|