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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June-Claude Van Damme: Enemies Closer (2013)

If you're after a film in which Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a blonde villain killing off people who are in between him and a downed plane that has a cargo of drugs on board then this is the movie for you. And if you're not sure about seeing Van Damme in that kind of role then I am going to say that this is still quite possibly the movie for you, because he's a lot of fun in the role.

Elsewhere, Tom Everett Scott plays Henry, a forest ranger who looks after a small, isolated location near the US/Canada border. His day starts off well when he meets a young woman (Kayla, played by Linzey Cocker) who needs some assistance. They part after agreeing to meet again later, but then Henry finds things getting a lot worse when a man named Clay (Orlando Jones) gets into his home and threatens to kill him because he believes Henry was responsible, in his previous military role, for the death of his younger brother. Meanwhile, Van Damme and his henchmen are starting to kill people in the area and head towards the downed cargo.

Directed by Peter Hyams (responsible for previous Van Damme hits, Sudden Death and Timecop), Enemies Closer is another winner for the director-star team. Van Damme may be the villain this time around but he's definitely the star, despite Scott and Jones being the nominal heroic leads.

Eric Bromberg and James Bromberg are responsible for the script, the only one they have written (at this time), and they bring things together with a fun sensibility. The pacing is perfect, with the dynamics between the various characters helping a lot there, the dialogue contains a number of good lines, and there's just enough done to distract viewers from the implausibility of the whole scenario.

Scott and Jones are decent enough in their roles, whether they're fighting one another or grudgingly working together to avoid being killed, Cocker is very good in one of the best female roles I can think of from Van Damme's filmography (although that's not saying much, considering how most actresses in his movies are just there to be saved or be sexy, or both), and JCVD is the absolute highlight, giving a funny, charismatic turn as the baddie. You also get a decent selection of supporting players as both villains and possible helpers.

There are more decent Van Damme films than you might first realise from the 21st century, a fact that's easy to forget if you've had to endure some of the major stinkers, but Enemies Closer is one of his very best, allowing him to cut loose and have an infectiously good time.

8/10

You can pick up the blu ray here.
Americans can pick it up here.