We are in the romantic month after all, and considering that last year, for the ‘movie of the month’ column, I skipped it entirely in favour for a return to childhood theme, this time I have three more or less romantic suggestions. So now that you have a clue for the recommendations for March and April, let’s get down to business with February.
Bedazzled is a 2000 romantic comedy directed by Harold Ramis and starring Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley; it is yet another movie that this year is in its 25th anniversary. It was famous enough for most people to recognize it today; the premise is that a lonely guy is granted seven wishes by the devil to try to conquer the woman he loves and each of them end up being twisted against the protagonist. It is possible to extrapolate the simple yet effective theme of love not being something that is possible to force onto someone, even through divine wishes or Mephistophelian interventions.
Speaking about the actors, I personally found their interpretations charming, whimsical and fun. Brendan Fraser, beloved by all internet, pulls off different nuances of his acting skills given the various scenarios of the movie; from the cringy inept doormat of a man to the exhilarated powerful drug lord to the charming and verbose intellectual. Although in some capacity these may seem caricaturized, Brandan still manages to achieve a performance that puts a smile on your face no matter what. Speaking of good performances, Elizabeth Hurley is also fantastic in the role of the Princess of Darkness. I already discussed my points of view on the best representations of the devil in cinema, but I would say that hers still deserves a mention at the very least. She is pushy and decisive, yet charming and seductive, manipulative and also somewhat whimsical; all things considered, she acts as one would expect from a forked tongue multifaceted devil such as Lucifer.
One interesting thing that I discovered while researching the movie, and by that I mean the classic 3 minute skim to get my name spelling correct, is that the 2000 version is actually a remake. The original 1967 Bedazzled plays out very similarly with a few minor exceptions. Since it was made towards the end of the ’60, and also British (important distinction), the original comes off as a little bit more cringy. What I will say however is that there is an interesting overturn. In the 1967 version the ending implies a sort of defeat of the devil and a win scored by the forces of good; in the 2000 version however God and Lucifer would seem to be represented more as companions. As such, it adds a more humanized aspect to God and the Devil; they feel more like old time friends or, more simply and poetically put, mere watchers. They are not there to teach or guide humanity, but rather to observe the free will of the mortals and even the tempting nature of the devil seems more like a ruse. It is a trope that I always found fascinating and one that is in close relation with the evolution of the Miltonian antihero. There is certainly much more to say about this, but this hardly seems the correct place for such an analysis.
I would give it 7 out of 10 “nobody ever reads the contract”.