Directed by: Harold Ramis
Written by:Larry Gelbart, Harold Ramis, Peter Tolan
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, Frances O'Connor, Miriam Shor, Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein
Released: January 25, 2001
Grade: B

A remake of the 1967 film of the same name, Bedazzled teams Brendan Fraser and Liz Hurley in a light-hearted comedy with mixed results.  Elliot Richards (Fraser) is a loser with no respect.  He works in a dead-end job and has never had the courage to ask out work colleague, Alison (O'Connor), despite the fact they've worked at the same company for over four years.

Enter Hurley as the Princess of Darkness.  In return for Elliot's soul, she promises seven wishes to help him become the person he's always wanted to be.  Of course, when you're dealing with the devil and the contract is thicker than the dictionary, Elliot’s going to be on the lesser end of the transaction.

It's a simple yet apt description.  Following the customary introduction, the story follows the fate of Elliot's seven wishes from which he will learn a valuable lesson.  There’s not much of a conclusion either but we don't usually go to silly comedies to take something away - we go to have fun.

The most likeable aspects of the Bedazzled are the performances of both Fraser and Hurley.  Fraser shows a large range in one of his best roles to date.  Hurley has a flood of great lines and combined, the two make a wickedly exciting pair.  Australian Frances O'Connor (Mansfield Park) is wonderful in her role as Alison and features strongly in much of the film.

A good opening title sequence is always a trigger for a good film and make sure you’re not late to miss the opening of Bedazzled.  The opening credits set the tone for the film and if used well, can capture the audience's attention from the very beginning.  Once you see the film you'll know what I mean but in this instance, I found them really inventive.

Whilst I’m not overly excited with Bedazzled, it certainly had its moments and is level with my benchmark for the genre.  It baffles me though why studios are increasing the number of remakes - are we that low on ideas?