Prime Time: Bedazzled (2000)

It's been a while since I've seen the original Bedazzled, a 1967 feature that showcased the wonderful comedic duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, but I remember having a lot of fun with it. Moore is a great "dimwit" and Cook is sardonic and wonderful as George Spiggott AKA the devil, looking to gain another soul from a human who keeps making wishes that deliver unintended consequences, of course. It's a series of sketches nicely smooshed together (apologies for the technical jargon) to make a great comedy film. So just keep in mind the fact that I am a big fan, and will aim to revisit it soon.

This version of the tale, however, feels like a decent remake. Brendan Fraser is the clumsy and awkward Elliot, looking on with puppy dog eyes at Alison (Frances O'Connor), and the devil this time around is played by Liz Hurley. Elliot is given seven wishes. He hopes that he can use them to create a life with Alison, which would make the price tag (his soul) worthwhile.

Directed by Harold Ramis, who also worked on the screenplay with legendary writer Larry Gelbart and less legendary writer Peter Tolan (look, not knocking his work, but check out the respective CVs of both individuals and you'll see what I mean), the biggest thing working against Bedazzled is that it cannot find a double-act equal to Cook and Moore, but that feels like an impossible task. Ramis directs well enough, and the script is full of amusing exchanges, but some people will roll their eyes at the mere thought of Fraser and Hurley being cast in the lead roles. I think it's a good move though, particularly because neither of them feel comparable to the iconic Pete and Dud.

Most people will have encountered a fun and lively incarnation of Fraser in one of his many broad comedies, but the opening scenes here don't play to his strengths at all, making his character far too sad and dull. Thankfully, that starts to fade away once he meets Hurley, and the various wishes allow him to play a fun variety of characters that often make use of his comedy chops. Hurley, on the other hand, is almost consistently wonderful in this. I wouldn't ever nominate her as a great unsung talent of cinema, but I do wish she had a few more roles that allowed her to have as much fun as she seems to be having here. The film makes use of her sex appeal, but it also uses her appearance to sweeten the poisoned apple that she keeps offering people while tempting them into various sins. O'Connor is fine, defined more by how Fraser's character loves her than how she really is, and Miriam Shor, Orlando Jones, Paul Adelstein, and Toby Huss play co-workers who also end up portraying different incarnations of themselves as the wishes are played out.

There's nothing really memorable here, but that doesn't stop it from being fun. Ramis is a dependable director, and he puts together a number of moments that make good use of the two main stars. That's it. It doesn't have the same feeling of anarchic joy that the original film had, and I would have enjoyed some different scenarios in place of one or two weaker sections, but it still aims to provide a mix of laughs and devilish mischief. And Hurley certainly seems to remind some of us that, as AC/DC once informed us, Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be.

6/10

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Serving Sara (2002)

There was a time when I thought that Matthew Perry should have done well in his film career. I always thought he was the funniest main member of the Friends cast (well . . . second to Lisa Kudrow) and he had a way of being cheeky while still remaining likeable. Sadly, you wouldn't know that from most of his film roles. It would be unfair to say that he kept picking duds. He obviously tried to stick with what was viewed as a winning formula, and I happen to like both Three To Tango and The Whole Nine Yards, but it soon became clear that his talent was best contained in episode form, as opposed to lead roles on the big screen.

Serving Sara, the tale of a process server (Perry) who tries to catch an elusive target (Sara, played by Elizabeth Hurley) until he is convinced by her that they should actually turn the tables on her scurrilous husband (Bruce Campbell), is far from the worst thing he has starred in. The plot is light enough to allow the leads space to have plenty of fun, there are some great line deliveries from Perry, and there's one sequence that seems specifically designed to get Elizabeth Hurley out of an everyday outfit and into something much more revealing (which is good news if you're a fan).

Director Reginald Hudlin does well enough, keeping things looking good enough to help viewers forget that most of the budget seems to have been spent on putting the cast together. There's nothing that stands out here, it's all just put together competently enough when it could have easily been a much lazier and sloppier film.

Writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn do a lot better here than they have done with many other entries in their filmography. Although weaker than many better comedies, I wouldn't have believed that this was from the same people who gave us National Security, Norbit, and Baywatch (although, in the interest of full disclosure, I actually rate that one about the same as this - and will always remind people of how easily pleased I can be).

But it's the cast who really help to keep this enjoyable throughout, even if Perry doesn't quite do enough to sell himself as a viable leading man. There may not be any chemistry between Perry and Hurley but they both always seem to be having fun, which helps a lot. Campbell is a lot of fun as the husband who wants to divorce his wife in a way that will leave him with all of his acquired wealth, and Cedric The Entertainer and Vincent Pastore are amusing as, respectively, the boss and competing colleague of Perry's character. Jerry Stiller pops up as a cop who is willing to offer helpful information for the right price, Terry Crews is the tough guy hired to ensure Campbell's character doesn't get served, and Amy Adams has a small amount of screentime as "the other woman".

Serving Sara is the kind of breezy comedy you may well find yourself catching on a TV channel one afternoon or evening. You then watch some of it, don't mind what you see, and watch some more, all the way to the end. Unless someone else picks up the remote control and presses the menu button to remind you of the better options playing on some of the other channels. It's inessential, it's forgettable, and it's perfectly passable comedy entertainment.

5/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.